Princess of Destiny
by Kristyl Dagir the Half-Elf
Summary: Darkness has taken the world of Destiny Islands, leaving a young girl, Kairi, alone for a second time. One of her best friends is responsible. Two forces of evil, the sorceress Maleficent and the mysterious Seeker of Darkness, are tearing through the Realm of Light like a firestorm. Armed with a mythical weapon and aided by strange new friends, she must walk the path of Destiny.
1. 00 - The Dive to The Heart

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real, or not?"

 _I've been alone for so long…I can't tell if I'm asleep or awake. Is this my reality, or am I just having a bad dream? Maybe I've been dreaming for so long I've forgotten what's real…_

"Riku, wait…don't…Riku, what are you doing? Riku, stop!"

… _what? Who's that? Who's there? Does someone need me? Ha, that's funny…what help could I be to anyone, when I can't even stay awake, or wake myself up…I don't even know which is which anymore._

"Sora? Sora, come back, wait for me! Sora, where'd you go?!"

 _A girl? She sounds distressed. If only I could wake up, maybe I could help…but in this place, I don't think I'd even notice the difference if I did wake up…_

"I'm alone…I'm all alone…"

 _No…as long as I'm here, you'll never really be alone. I won't let you wander in darkness alone…if I can't do anything else, at least I can be your light…_

"What? Who…who's there?"

 _I'm…not really sure. I had a name once…I_ have _a name, I just can't…so tired…no! NO! She needs me…what's your name?_

"I…my name is Kairi."

 _Kairi…I see. That sounds familiar, somehow…ah, I think I remember now…yes, my friends used to call me–_

Blinding light shattered the darkness, and sight sundered the silence, and the woman's voice evaporated, leaving Kairi alone again. No Riku beckoning to her, no Sora reaching out to her, no sea that was sky that was sea…

She was standing on a huge circle of stained glass. She could see herself, and she saw the glass, but everything else was darkness. Darkness without boundary or limit. There was no light; nothing was glowing, even softly, but somehow she could still see. What little that there was to see, anyways.

" **So much to do, so little time…"**

"Who's that?!" Kairi cried out into the echoing darkness. She didn't recognize the voice. It was a man's voice, high pitched but reverberating all around her. It came from the darkness around her, but something told her that he wasn't _of_ the darkness, and somehow that distinction was important.

" **Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut."**

"What door?" Kairi asked, "What are you talking about? Where am I? Where are my friends? Where are you? _Who are you and what do you want with me?!_ "

" **No time to explain…you'll have to have faith. Now, step forward. Can you do it?"**

"What, is that supposed to be a challenge?" asked Kairi, boldly striding forward to the center of the glass. She yelped in surprise as light flashed around her; three pedestals appeared around her, and over each one there hovered an item. A sword, a shield, and a staff.

" **Power sleeps within you. If you give it form…it will protect you. Choose well."**

"Okay…pick a weapon, got it. Are my friends in trouble? Do I have to fight for them?" Kairi asked, a little fearful to be perfectly honest. She didn't like fighting, not nearly as much as Riku and Sora did. Not even as much as Tidus and Wakka and Selphie all did. The voice didn't give her an answer, so she approached the sword first.

" **The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?"**

Invincible courage sounded nice, but the 'terrible destruction' bit gave Kairi pause. After thinking it over a moment, she shook her head. "No…I'm no warrior," she admitted to herself.

… _staff…_

"What?" Kairi asked, looking around. She thought she'd heard the woman's voice again. Kairi approached the shield next.

" **The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?"**

"That sounds a lot more like me", said Kairi, reaching for the shield.

 _No…the staff…_

"Huh? Staff?" Kairi asked. She was sure she hadn't imagined it that time.

 _The staff…_

"Well…if you insist, I guess I can look." Kairi approached the staff.

" **The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?"**

Something about the word 'mystic' appealed to Kairi even more than 'guardian', and a lot more than 'warrior'. And inner strength sounded useful too, at least as much as kindness or courage. But a staff of wonder _and_ ruin? Kairi was apprehensive.

 _Inner strength! The staff is the best way! Trust me, please, Kairi…_

"Alright!" Kairi shouted, "If you feel so strongly about it…you seem to understand what's going on better than I do, anyways. Staff it is," Kairi decided, grabbing the staff and holding it up over her head.

" **Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?"**

"Uh, what's that supposed to mean?"

 _It means that to gain, one must sacrifice. This is true in all things; power is no different. You have chosen the power you wanted. Now you must choose the power you will surrender to earn it._

"But if I have to give one up, doesn't that mean I already had all three?"

 _In a way, yes, all beings with hearts have these powers sleeping within them. But to awaken that power, to make it useful, you must give it form…and to do that, you must surrender something as well._

"That doesn't make any sense!"

 _I thought the same thing. But experience taught me better. Remember, Kairi, that instinct can lie to us as easily as reason can._

"Well, that's not infuriatingly vague and cryptic at all," Kairi grumbled. She looked between the sword and the shield. "Do I give up the power of the warrior, or the guardian?"

 _Oh, c'mon, it's not that hard. There was only one you wanted in the first place._

"Well, yeah…but it's one thing to say no to a sword of, and I quote, 'terrible destruction', and a whole other thing to turn your back on _invincible courage_. I don't want to be a coward! Especially not if I have to fight to save my friends!"

 _Would you rather be cold and callous? Everyone fears, Kairi. Heroes included. But you cannot be a true hero if you give up your compassion. 'Kindness to aid friends', remember? Isn't that why you're here? To aid your friends?_

"You're right," Kairi agreed, "The sword it is." Speaking louder, as if addressing the darkness itself (which she supposed she was) she proclaimed, "To gain the power of the mystic, I sacrifice the power of the warrior!"

" **You have chosen the power of the mystic. You have given up the power of the warrior."**

"Thank you, Mr. Parrot," Kairi muttered.

" **Is this the form you choose?"**

 _Yes._

"It is," Kairi affirmed.

The pedestals sank into the glass, and it shattered under Kairi's feet! "Whoa _no AHHH!_ "

" **You've gained the power to fight."**

Kairi landed on a new platform, also of stained glass, and the Dream Rod appeared in her hands.

 _I honestly was not expecting that to happen. Sorry._

" **Use this power to protect yourself and others."**

"Right. Got it."

 _Kairi, I sense something…_

" **There will be times when you have to fight."**

Shadows started popping up out of the glass; strange-looking stooped-over creatures of darkness with twitchy antennae and glowing yellow eyes.

" **Keep your light burning strong."**

Without warning, the Shadows all rushed Kairi at once! The voice of the woman shouted instructions in a way that Kairi heard not with her ears, but with her muscles, and her body seemed to move on its own accord; she knew she was in control of herself, but also that she was following the guidance of another. With a grace she had never realized she had, she _danced_ around her would-be assailants, flowing like a mountain river, and lashed out with her staff. One of her blows landed true, and a Shadow faded away. Soon, the others followed suit of their own accord. Kairi couldn't help but laugh and feel elated. This wasn't so hard after–

 _Behind you!_

Without thinking, Kairi heeded the silent warning and spun around, smacking the Shadow across the face with her staff. They hadn't left after all, and now there were more! She lunged forward and tried to smash one into the floor, but it _melted into the glass_ , becoming a true shadow, and slithered away before 'resurfacing'. Kairi tried to fight them off, but now _they_ were outmaneuvering _her_. She began to panic, and in panicking she ceased to hear her mysterious advisor's instructions. She began flailing about wildly; fewer of her strikes connected, and those that did steadily grew less effective, and it seemed that the Shadows were multiplying! Soon Kairi felt like she was drowning in the darkness, the Shadows pulling her under, pulling her _into the glass_ –

Kairi gasped and opened her eyes. She was lying down on a new glass platform, and there were no Shadows in sight. But there was a door…

 _You fool! The staff is not merely a cudgel, some blunt weapon. It is an_ instrument _, meant to be wielded with finesse! You gave up the power of the WARRIOR for that of the MYSTIC, remember? Fight like a berserker and you're doomed to fail. Show a little grace and dignity, would you?_

"Easy for you to say!" Kairi shouted to herself, as far as any casual observer would have been able to discern, "You're not the one who was being swarmed by creatures of darkness!"

 _Not this time, true, but I have suffered that peril before. I have fought, and I have won, but I have also lost. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed, Kairi, and I have learned this lesson bitterly; fear is a friend that warns you when the water is too deep, but panic is a fiend that tosses you an anchor when you're already drowning. Keep a cool and level head at all times, even when you feel that you're certainly doomed…it's the only way you'll prove yourself wrong._

"…as far as I know, you're just a disembodied voice in my head, without a face, but I can imagine that you're smiling right now," Kairi said, "If you had a face, and I knew what it looked like, I would imagine it smiling right now." Without waiting for her strange friend to respond, or for the voice from the darkness to tell her what to do, Kairi took it upon herself to approach the door. As soon as she laid a hand upon one of the handles, the door began to swing open of its own accord, bathing Kairi in blindingly bright light, and bringing with it the warmth of the sun's kiss and tangy scent of a sea breeze…

"Home," Kairi said breathlessly. The familiar trappings of Destiny Islands began materializing around her, and she found herself standing on a wooden deck. And Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were there, with her! Finally, she wasn't alone!

" **Hold on. The door won't open just yet."**

"Of course," Kairi groaned, "Wait a minute, didn't I _just_ open the door?"

 _Your senses are an extension of yourself, and can be fooled just as easily as you can. This is not your island, Kairi. We're still in the void; it's just taken on a new shape to make you relax. Do not lower your guard, not for an instant. The Darkness can return at any time._

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine," muttered Kairi.

" **First, tell me more about yourself."**

"What? Why?! It's not nice to pry, you know," said Kairi defensively.

 _Kairi! Show some manners! He's offering you the power to protect your friends, your family, and your home. He has a right to know what kind of person he's offering the power to. It is an honor to be chosen, but that doesn't give you the right to be impertinent._

"I have no idea what _either_ of you are talking about," Kairi moaned, wishing she could wake up from this nonsense nightmare already. Also, really hoping that this _was_ all just a nonsense nightmare.

Being right in front of her, sitting on the railing, and also being a girl, Kairi approached Selphie first, but before she could say anything, Selphie asked her, "What's most important to you?"

The question took Kairi by surprise, but it only took her a second to come up with the answer. "Friendship. Duh. C'mon, Selph, what are you–"

"Is friendship such a big deal?" Selphie asked. Kairi blinked.

"Yes…yes it is…Selphie, are you feeling alright?" Kairi asked. Selphie didn't respond.

 _She's not real, just part of the construct, remember? She asked her question, and you gave your answer. Now she's just part of the scenery. The boys likely have questions for you as well._

"Fine," Kairi sighed. She moved along to Wakka, who stood at the foot of the ramp to an upper deck.

"What do you want outta life?" the boy asked without preamble.

That question held Kairi up for a bit, since it was much more open-ended and she had never really given it a whole lot of thought. Well, she thought about it now, and immediately her mind flashed back to the horrible feeling of sinking into the darkness, and the even more horrifying possibility of it happening to Sora or Riku. Kairi generally didn't consider herself impulsive, but this felt like a good time for it, and she made up her mind then and there. "I want to get stronger. Strong enough to keep my friends and loved ones safe from…well, from anything."

"Getting stronger, eh?" Wakka mused, and then he too felt silent. Understanding the pattern now, Kairi stepped over to where Tidus stood.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asked, somehow sounding even more impetuous than the real Tidus. Or maybe Kairi imagined it. This one was easier, since it was something that Kairi had thought about once in a while. It was a fear that had plagued her ever since she had awoken, without any memories to call her own, on the shores of these islands, surrounded by strangers who had been kind enough to take her in. Still, it wasn't something she had shared even with her best friends, Sora and Riku, because she wasn't sure they would understand why. So it felt a little strange admitting this to (what appeared to be) Tidus, of all people. But she understood that she had to answer the question, and she had a feeling that it would be unwise to lie.

"Being different," she confessed in a half-whisper.

"Being different?" Tidus repeated incredulously, "Is that really so scary?"

Before Kairi could start chewing out Tidus for his insensitive response (even if it wasn't really Tidus, and even if he wouldn't reply) she heard the strange man's voice return.

" **You want friendship. You want to be strong. You're afraid of being different."**

The first two sentences he spoke with admiration, and the last bit he repeated softly, his tone sympathetic and understanding.

" **Your adventure begins at midday. Keep a steady pace and you'll come through fine."**

"Uh…sounds good?" said Kairi uncertainly, not sure whether to address the sea or the sky or the island itself, and half wondering if the sea and the sky were the same, like they had been at the beginning of this lunatic dream.

" **The day you will open the door is both far off and very near."**

Everything was light, and Kairi was blinded again…

And once more she found herself standing alone, on a stained-glass circle in the middle of an endless void of darkness. It was almost enough to make her cry out in frustration.

Kairi approached the center again, and a fresh batch of Shadows began rising up out of the glass. This time, Kairi took a deep breath, and with it swallowed the fear that they brought with them. She exhaled slowly, reminding herself that as long as she controlled her breathing, she wouldn't lose control of her emotions… _'wait, where'd that come from?'_ she wondered.

 _I thought you could benefit from something I learned a long time ago. Are you ready, Kairi?_

' _Yes. Together, this time.'_

The Shadows struck, but like before Kairi flowed out of their way as if she were water in human form, so in fact they struck nothing but air. Kairi retaliated, not with fear or anger but with focus and precision; the staff came back to her hands in a cascade of light, and under her new friend's mental guidance she wielded it as if it were an extension of her own body. She leapt, rolled, feinted, lunged, and was a general whirlwind of grace. Her footwork like that of a dancer's, her arms swung the staff like the wide, sweeping strokes of an artist's brush. The Shadows couldn't touch her, because she was nowhere, but they couldn't escape her, because she was everywhere. And soon–almost too soon, a nearly-disappointed Kairi thought–the last of the Shadows had been dispatched.

 _Well done, Kairi. You're a real natural; hardly anyone gets the hang of this so easily._

"Well, I've got a good teacher," Kairi said modestly, though in truth she did feel quite pleased with her improvement. Kairi looked around, and saw that a flight of stained-glass stairs had appeared, snaking through the darkness toward what she suspected was yet another glass platform. "I have no idea where we are, but whoever owns this place needs to hire a new decorator."

 _Heh, eh-heh, ah-ha, ha-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha-Ha-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!_

"What the heck is so funny?" Kairi asked as she began ascending the stairs. It was eerie, walking up steps that didn't appear to be connected to each other or anything else, and yet still supported her weight just fine, but then again all of these platforms so far had seemed to be rising up out of the infinite void, so no use trying to call logic or any semblance of rational physics into this place now.

 _Heh, heh, hee…someday, I might just tell you, and you might laugh even harder then._

"…I'm starting to think you _enjoy_ being all cryptic and mysterious. Remember your name yet?"

… _I…no, I'm sorry, I don't. I don't entirely remember the purpose of whatever it is you…we…are doing here, except that it is of the utmost importance. I remember some things, in a sense, but–_

"Don't sweat it," said Kairi, "It'll come back to you soon, I'm sure. Until then, I'm going to call you Mystery. Is that okay with you?"

 _Hmm…yes, Mystery will do nicely, for now, until I remember my name. Thank you, Kairi._

"No problem. Us girls have to stick together, right?" said Kairi as she stepped foot on the next glass platform. She saw nothing of immediate interest, so she started towards the center.

" **The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes."**

"Hey, it's him again. I was starting to wonder where he'd gone," said Kairi. She noticed movement in the corner of her eye and looked over her shoulder…

Her shadow was growing. Not just getting longer, as shadows sometimes do, but it was starting to look thicker, more solid, _and then it was rising up out of the ground!_

Kairi turned to face it–somehow the creature had separated from her shadow and was now a Shadow of its own, but quite unlike any Shadow she had seen so far. Much bigger, for starters. Kairi began to step backwards involuntarily, the natural and primal fear of being confronted by something so much bigger than herself too great to be contained by a simple breathing exercise–

" **But don't be afraid."**

Somehow those words, spoken gently but with the weight of a powerful authority, pierced her harried hindbrain, and she wrestled her breathing and heart rate into submission, taking control of her emotions by sheer force of will.

 _See? Inner strength is much better than courage. Who needs the ability to ignore fear when you can simply learn to control it?_

" **And don't forget…"**

The Darkside stood up in its full, terrible glory, towering over her. Kairi called the Dream Rod back into her hands, and took a firm, balanced stance, with one foot forward and her weapon held out by one hand, a posture impressed into her mind by Mystery's soothing voice that fell upon her like a cleansing rain on a wildfire.

The Darkside lunged forward, one mammoth hand reaching for Kairi to crush her like she herself had crushed so many mosquitoes. That thought, that she was no more than pesky bug to this thing, filled Kairi with anger, outrage; with righteous indignation, which she channeled to steel her focus. She waited until almost the last second, when Mystery shouted " _go!_ " to jump up, landing on the Darkside's wrist. She ran up the length of its arm, either batting aside or outright ignoring the Shadows that popped up out of its approximation of flesh to impede her. She vaulted over the last attempt at a blockade and landed lightly upon the Darkside's shoulder.

 _Cleave off its head!_

' _What, with a staff? How–'_

 _Don't think of it as just a staff, that's what's limiting you! It's an extension of yourself, an instrument of your inner strength, a conduit for your righteous fury, an expression of your own will to defend the innocent and wreak havoc upon the wicked!_

Unable to argue with Mystery's compelling words, Kairi focused all of her disdain for this Darkness-borne abomination into a simple desire– _'Off with its head!'_ –and imagined channeling that desire through the Dream Rod. She swung at the Darkside's neck as hard as she could, willing her arms to swing even harder!

The Darkside's head did _not_ fly free from its throat, but Kairi was amazed that the shadowy giant staggered backwards and toppled over. She fell down, and with a newfound respect for the power of belief she willed herself to fall faster, and yet land lightly upon her feet, which she did to her own amazement.

 _In this place, Kairi, you hold greater sway than you can imagine. It will be very different when you return to the larger world outside, so don't get too cocky._

Kairi moved to finish the Darkside off, but she was immediately bogged down by more Shadows than she could count. She destroyed them all in short order, but they had bought the Darkside enough time to get up to its feet. A sinister, purple-black energy swirled around the heart-shaped hole in the Darkside's torso, and it began blasting bolts of dark power that raced through the air before refocusing themselves unerringly towards Kairi, approaching her from all angles. She felt the fear rise up again–

 _Don't let it get a foothold in your heart, Kairi! Steel yourself; the darkness cannot defeat you from without unless it defeats you from within. Make your heart unmovable, and FIGHT BACK!_

Kairi swallowed the fear and willed it into frantic energy. She exploded into motion and rapidly leaped backwards, channeling her resolution to fight into the Dream Rod and using it to bat the bolts of darkness back at the Darkside. She didn't have the reflexes to deflect them all, so some she waited until nearly the last second before cartwheeling or tumbling to the side, making the projectiles slam harmlessly into the outstandingly resilient glass, or into a stray Shadow that was thereupon consumed and destroyed.

' _How is it that the big one's energy can harm the little ones if they all came from the darkness?'_ she idly wondered.

 _It's because the Darkness is, by its very nature, self-destructive. And to be fair, our bodies are mostly water but we can still drown. Also, FOCUS ON THE FIGHT!_ Mystery sternly cautioned.

"Sorry," Kairi muttered aloud as she bounced the last dark-bolt back at the Darkside, pegging it in one of its yellow-glowing eyes. It didn't scream, but Kairi imagined that it would've if it could've, and one of its hands did fly up to cover the abused eye.

 _Now! The other eye, blind it!_ Mystery commanded.

"How? I've got nothing to bounce back and no…if you expect me to _throw my weapon_ –"

 _Of course not! Not yet anyways…never mind. Focus on feelings of_ warmth _; focus on thoughts that fill your heart with warmth, channel it with your will through the staff. I will do the rest. You'll need to aim, of course._

"The eye?"

 _The eye._

"Okay, here goes nothing…" said Kairi, pointing the staff at the Darkside's uninjured eye. She called to mind a memory; Sora's last birthday, he'd pulled her and Riku and everyone else who'd been standing too close into a group hug. In spite of the situation she was in, Kairi smiled at the thought; her heart filled with warmth, and she pushed it into the staff.

 _FIRAGA!_ Mystery's voice roared inside Kairi's head, and she felt an explosive rush as energy flowed from her body, through the Dream Rod that seemed to hum in her grasp, and out the end _in the form of a fireball!_ The blazing projectile sailed through the air, flying straight for the Darkside's as-yet unspoiled eye. It collided and exploded tremendously upon impact, and once again the colossal shadow-creature staggered backwards. It stood very near to the edge of the platform, and Kairi could easily imagine that one more good whack might make it topple over into oblivion. Squaring her shoulders, the girl began racing forward, and without realizing it a battle cry came to her lips and flew from her mouth. She jumped up, her weapon held at her side, intending to knock it back over the precipice with a single thrust.

And then it blindly swung one of its mighty hands and smacked her out of the air and into the glass.

 _Luck is ever the most capricious of foes and dubious of allies, as every seasoned warrior knows,_ Mystery said sagely.

"Ah, shut up," Kairi retorted. She struggled to get to her feet but then the Darkside was on its hands and knees looming _right over her_ , a single yellow eye (the one that hadn't been incinerated) glaring down at her.

"– **But don't be afraid,"** the other voice returned.

' _Of course not, why should I?'_ Kairi thought frightfully, too quailed by the Darkside's proximity to snark out loud. Darkness once again bubbled up through the glass all around her, threatening to pull her under, and it took all her self-restraint and all of Mystery's gentle words to keep her from tipping over into a full-on panic attack.

" **You hold the mightiest weapon of all."**

' _Really? Where is it and how do I use it?!'_

" **So don't forget…"**

' _You haven't told me yet!'_ Kairi almost screamed aloud as the Darkside's face came closer, and the darkness swirled around her more viciously, no longer threatening to pull her under but rather threatening to tear her apart at the very seams of her being.

" **You are the one who will open the door."**

' _What the hell does that even mean?!'_ was Kairi's last panicked thought before the darkness swallowed her whole, and she di–

…

…

…

"ARGHH!" Kairi screamed as she sat bolt-upright in her bed. It was just another nightmare, after all.

 _No…I'm afraid this is just the beginning for you, Kairi. Good luck, girl. You'll need it._

Author's Notes:

I present to you, Lé Prologue. I'm pretty sure you've all figured out who Mystery is already, but oh well. Her name remains Mystery until Kairi finds out what it is.

And of course, the obligatory reminder that feedback is a writer's daily bread and butter; please review, or if you're shy or have something you'd like to say on a more personal level, PMs are also more than welcome. I only pre-plan stories in broad strokes, so there are always a lot of blank spaces to fill in; if there's something you've _really_ wanted to see in a Kingdom Hearts fanfic and you think it might work in this story, feel free to share it with me and, if it doesn't contradict anything important and I can work it in without too much difficulty, I just might! And even if not, if I like the idea enough, it might just inspire me to write a whole new fanfic just because, and then you can tell everyone that I got the idea from you (except I'll already have told them, because I very firmly believe in giving credit where credit is due). If you have a bit of head-canon that you want to share because you think it would benefit the alternate universe of my story, I invite you to share; I sincerely believe that a brain can never hold too many good ideas. Even if you have a request for something to happen in the story, like a specific fight or maybe a little shipping between two characters that I'm not already shipping with anyone else, send 'em in and I'll see what I can do; just to warn you ahead of time, though I might change my mind later, I do not _at this time_ foresee shipping being a _major element_ in this story. Again, that could change because my mind is like that. The future is not set in stone, as they say.

If you have any concerns, think I might have overlooked or violated some crucial bit of KH lore and are unsure whether it's deliberate or an oversight on my part, don't hesitate to point it out. I'm a reasonable and humble guy, and I take corrections and CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms very well. Just be friendly about it. Troll me or go out of your way to act like a prick, and I will either ignore you, or return fire with a vicious dose of snark worthy of Captain Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce himself. If it's something about my writing that you like or don't like, even better! Half the reason I'm here is to improve my skills as a writer in general, not just my skills as a writer of fanfic or a writer of fanfic for any specific fandom. If you've got nothing in the way of criticism and just wanted to tell me that you really liked something I did, don't be shy at all; every writer appreciates the occasional confidence boost. It doesn't have to be criticism to be constructive.

And finally, THIS IS IMPORTANT! If there are any 'worlds' you'd like to see in this story, along with a story arc to go with it, TELL ME PLEASE! Even if it's not a Disney or Square Enix world, because I already intend to violate that little restriction; this is _fanfic_ after all. Anything goes! (As long as it doesn't trigger a flame war, hopefully.) Other ideas, like ideas for Heartless, Keyblades and/or Summons to go with these worlds, or other Final Fantasy characters you'd like to appear or just _any_ characters you'd like to be in the story, are also very welcome. But, and this is also very important, suggestions for worlds and characters _should_ be accompanied by, at the very least, a general idea for a story arc to go with it. For example, I wouldn't object to having Kairi go to, say, the world of Sonic the Hedgehog, or Fairy Tail, or Thundercats, or Avatar (the James Cameron movie _or_ the American animation franchise), or Pokémon, or RWBY, or I could go on all day long, BUT! I need to know what she's going to _do_ there, and unless I want to write a doorstopper (which I'm not sure I do, in this case) I can only include so many worlds in the story. _This_ story, anyways, which is only going to cover the events corresponding to the original Kingdom Hearts game. If this story does well enough, I do intend to write sequels. So, for now (as always, this is subject to change at my fickle discretion) I think I'm only going to add three extra worlds to this story, in addition to the canon ones. But don't let that discourage you; if I like an idea enough, I might just write a side-story dedicated to it, because that's just the kind of writer I am.

Um, I think that's all that's on my mind right now. So…see you next week!

 _La Vie Boheme!_


	2. 01 - Ripples of Fate

**Yesterday**

"A raft?" the red-haired girl asked of her silvery-haired playmate. "You want to leave the islands on a _raft_ …why?"

"To see what's out there," Riku explained. He didn't add a 'duh', but Kairi heard it all the same.

"And _you_ think this is a good idea, even though it'll probably be a lot of work and you _hate_ working?" she asked, turning to the brunette boy who completed their little trio. The three of them were sitting together in their treehouse on the islet where the local adolescents liked to play, away from the prying eyes of grown-ups.

"Riku said it'll be an adventure, and honestly it's been forever since anything interesting happened around here," admitted Sora.

Turning to his foremost bro, Riku said, "Except for Kairi showing up, _nothing_ interesting has _ever_ happened around here."

"Ah, c'mon, man, we've had some good times on this island, haven't we?" said Sora.

"Well, sure, we've had fun," Riku conceded, "But nothing really _interesting_ has ever happened here since Kairi…appeared? Well, okay, there was that meteor shower last week, but still. Don't you agree, Kairi?" he asked, turning back to the girl.

And the thing was that the girl, Kairi, had to agree. The Destiny Islands were a beautiful place, really, an earthly paradise all things considered…but the thing was, paradise gets _really_ damn boring after a while.

"Yeah, you've got a point there," Kairi admitted, though she still thought the idea was a little absurd, "But what would our parents say?"

"That we can't do it," Riku replied immediately, "Which is why we should keep this little project of ours a secret," he added with a grin.

"If there's anything better than an adventure, it's a _top-secret_ adventure," agreed Sora.

' _Well, their minds are already made up. Nothing to do but join in and enjoy the madness,'_ Kairi decided with a grin. "So, what all will we need? Since it's your idea, I assume you've got all the details figured out already, right Riku?"

"You're in?" asked Sora, hardly able to contain his joy.

"Of course, silly. Without me and my good luck charm," she withdrew the star-shaped collection of seashells from her pocket and held it up to emphasize her point, "You two are bound to get swallowed by a sea monster, or something."

"Sea monsters aren't real, Kairi," said Riku with a chuckle. Again, there was an implied 'duh', but Kairi accepted this as part of Riku's…charm, for want of a better word.

"I know. That's just how rotten your guys' luck is. Besides, most people reckon there's no other worlds beyond these islands, either," said Kairi.

"But we know _that's_ wrong. Otherwise, where could you have come from?" reasoned Sora. Then his face lit up, "Hey, I just had an idea; maybe we can find the place Kairi came from!"

"Exactly," agreed Riku, "If Kairi had never come here, we never would have known for certain that there _was_ anything beyond our islands. So it's only natural that our first stop will be to visit Kairi's hometown…or homeworld…whichever. When you think about it, she's the key that unlocked the whole thing."

"Ah, you guys," said Kairi, blushing.

 **Today**

"Well, that's it for the building materials," said Riku, shading his eyes as he checked the sun's position. "And we've got enough daylight left that we should be able to get started putting it together. Of course, we'd be able to build the whole thing if someone weren't so…preoccupied."

"I'm not preoccupied!" Kairi said defensively, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. Was it just her, or was it unusually hot out today?

Riku gave her a funny look, and Kairi realized she had overreacted. "I was talking about Sora, actually," he clarified, gesturing in the direction where, in the distance, Sora could be seen sparring one-on-three with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. "But now that you mention it, you have been a little…distracted today. I wonder why I didn't notice sooner," he mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Have not. That's just silly," Kairi huffed.

"And so has Sora, now that I think about it," Riku continued, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Hey, are you ignoring me?" Kairi asked.

"Have you been having…strange dreams, would you say?" Riku asked her.

"What?" Kairi half-shouted, taking a step back. "I…what are you talking about, Riku?" Kairi's heart was pounding now, and she wasn't sure why. She didn't remember dreaming last night…

"Forget about it," Riku said abruptly, turning away and heading down the beach. "Just nonsense. We should call it a day with the raft."

"Huh? But I thought–" Kairi started.

"No way. If we work too hard and go home tired, our parents will wonder what we're up to. We'll move the stuff around to the cove, and tomorrow we'll build the raft out of sight from the main island. Sora and I will handle the heavy work while you gather provisions, okay?" said Riku.

"Well, okay," Kairi agreed, unable to come up with a counter-argument and not sure why she wanted to, "But if you think I'll do all the cooking just because I'm a girl–"

"Course not. Besides, you can't cook on a raft; it might catch fire. If you need me, I'll be hanging by the paopu tree."

"Kay," said Kairi, who started folding the cloth Sora had found into a square. She didn't need to ask why Riku felt compelled to lounge by (or more accurately, on) the paopu tree while there was still work to be done. It was the usual place for him and Sora to have their daily dose of testosterone-fueled dueling. Martial arts were a favorite source of amusement for the children of Destiny Islands, and most of the kids were pretty good. But everyone knew that Sora and Riku were in a league that consisted of just them. These days, if they weren't dueling each other, one of them was dueling two or three other kids at the same time, as Sora was presently demonstrating. As a matter of fact, Kairi even indulged in a little swordplay when she was alone and bored, but she'd never really been interested in dueling any of her agemates. Except lately, she'd been giving it some thought…but no. That wasn't her; she just wasn't the fighting type. That was what she told herself, somewhat more forcefully these days.

After she'd found a convenient place in the Cove to stash the cloth and the rope, she went back for the logs. As she schlepped back and forth between the two sides of the islet, she noticed something out at sea, in the distance. It looked like nothing more than a speck, but it caught her interest so when she was done moving the building materials she tracked down Wakka and asked if she could borrow his spyglass. Climbing up to the highest accessible point on the islet, she scanned the sea until she found the speck and peered at it through the spyglass. She gasped, and almost dropped Wakka's spyglass. She scampered back down as fast as she could; only narrowly avoiding breaking her neck at one point. She dashed across the bridge to the small, isolated pillar of land where Riku and Sora were currently engaged in their typical same-old-same-old.

"Guys. Guys! HEY, IDIOTS!" she shouted as she ran up, out of breath but not really caring.

"Huh?" asked Sora.

"Idiots?" asked Riku.

"Never mind that, just look!" Kairi demanded, thrusting the spyglass at them and pointing at the distant speck on the water. With apparent reluctance, the two boys disengaged from their melodramatic bladelock and played a quick game of rock-paper-scissors over who got to look first. Riku won. (Making his rock-paper-scissors win-loss-draw record against Sora 1,750-960-240).

To Kairi's disappointment, Riku gave no visible reaction as he passed the spyglass to Sora, but he did start towards their boats immediately. Sora, as always, fulfilled Kairi's expectations by gasping and dropping his jaw (and almost dropping the spyglass, too) appropriately. He tossed the spyglass to her and dashed off towards the boats. Kairi followed close behind, almost forgetting to return the spyglass to Wakka, who was curious about where they were all going in such a hurry.

As Kairi sprinted towards her own rowboat she shouted back, "There's a stranger on a raft heading towards the main island!"

* * *

Normally, when the three of them rowed home, it turned into a race between Sora and Riku while Kairi focused on _not_ capsizing herself over a silly competition. Today, however, she outstripped them easily, reaching the docks a full minute before Sora, who got there five seconds behind Riku. Kairi had heard the expression 'working like a demon' before, but had never understood what it meant until now. The whole time, it had felt like her arms no longer knew their limits, or just didn't care. She'd gotten a good look at the stranger through the spyglass, and was absolutely certain she wasn't from around here. It _had_ to mean something. Without waiting for her friends, Kairi took off for the East Shore docks, which is where the stranger had been heading. Evidently someone else with a spyglass had noticed her too, because the docks were crowded with people when she got there. Kairi tried muscling her way through the crowd, but…well, it just didn't work out all that well for her.

Sticking both pinkies in the corners of her mouth, she whistled as loudly as she could and then shouted for good measure, "Hey! Mayor's daughter coming through! Move aside, people, pretty please?!"

The nice thing (sometimes, anyways) about living in a literally small world was that mostly everyone knew everyone else; even two people who didn't talk to each other very often could be expected to know each other fairly well by reputation alone. Being the only known Outsider in the whole island (until now, it would seem) Kairi had been a subject of great interest to everyone who cared about such curiosities. Having been adopted by the Mayor and his wife, everyone on the islands knew _of_ her, at the very least, and her reputation was that she was a very sweet, generally well-mannered girl who could be counted upon to offer a helping hand to those who needed it. She certainly wasn't the kind of kid who raised her voice and made demands of others, so when she did, people noticed. After a moment of looking quizzically at her (and making her blush, just a little, from the scrutiny) the crowd obliged and opened a path for her. They moved a little faster when it occurred to them that, duh, of course another Outsider showing up would be something of great interest to her.

So it was that despite being one of the last to show up, Kairi managed to make it up to the head of the crowd, right next to her adopted father (who greeted her with a warm smile, as usual) by the time the stranger reached the docks. Her raft looked remarkably a lot like what Kairi had envisioned hers and Sora's and Riku's raft looking like when it was finished. Whether that made Kairi very good at realistically imagining rafts or the stranger a rather crude raft-maker, she wasn't sure. The stranger had furled up the raft's triangular sail and switched to paddle-power upon entering the shallows, and now she put down the paddle and took up a length of rope, one end already being tied around the base of the mast, and used it to moor her raft to the dock. The stranger herself was a woman of average height, about five-and-a-half feet, give or take an inch, with long dark hair, caramel-colored eyes, and pale skin. She wore a belly-exposing white tank top, black shorts with suspenders, and short brown boots.

She took a standing jump from her raft to the dock, and seemed to stumble a bit. _'She's not used to being at sea for very long, it seems,'_ Kairi observed.

"So, I take it you don't get a whole lot of visitors around here?" the stranger asked, looking up at the huge crowd that had turned out just for her. You never really appreciated how many people could fit on an average-sized island until they were all in one place.

"Well, no, not really," said the Mayor, "Almost everyone already lives here. Ah, where are my manners! Welcome to Destiny Islands, Miss…"

"Lockhart," said the stranger, sticking her hand out, "Tifa Lockhart."

Kairi's father accepted the handshake and said, "I am the Mayor, Cecil Harvey. And this is my daughter–"

"Kairi!" exclaimed Kairi, no longer able to contain her excitement. "Where'd you come from, Ms. Lockhart?"

"Oh, well, you know…out there," replied Tifa, pointing to the horizon.

"Well of course, but I mean, what's the name of your–"

"Kairi, please, she's likely been at sea for some time," said Cecil sternly, "We should let her get something to eat and drink, and let her rest before we bombard her with questions. Ms. Lockhart, I would be honored if you would join my family for dinner."

"Sounds great! Lead the way, Your Mayorness," said Tifa, following Cecil off the dock. Kairi followed as well, but she was soon accosted by her out-of-breath amigos, Sora and Riku.

"So…where's…she…from?" asked Sora, who was panting and stooped over with his hands on his knees. Riku, who was just as winded but much better at keeping his composure, watched the stranger with an odd expression.

"Don't know. Dad said to let her relax before asking her stuff, but she's having dinner at our place so you can bet I'll get something out of her before the night is over," said Kairi seriously.

"Whoa, look out. Kairi's got her game face on," said Sora, nudging Riku with his elbow.

"She's certainly…big," remarked Riku, still following Tifa with his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sora, "She's…oh." Sora started blushing furiously. "I…uh…I see what you mean, there, buddy."

"Huh? She's not big," said Kairi quizzically, "If anything she's average…oh. You guys!"

"Yes, we _are_ guys," said Riku with that trademark grin of his, halfway between a condescending smirk and a full-blown smile.

Sora just kept his mouth shut and made a beeline for home. "So you tomorrow, guys!" he shouted back as he ran.

"Don't be sore, Kairi," said Riku as he, too, headed home with his hands in his pockets, "You'll fill out _some_ day."

Kairi fumed silently for a moment before kicking a convenient stone as hard as she could. "Boys! I swear…" she hissed. With nothing better to do with what little daylight was left, she headed for home as well.

* * *

Dinner at the Harvey house was…interesting…that evening. As near as anyone could tell, Kairi had been about five or six years old when she had…appeared…on the shores of the Destiny Islands. She had no memories before that point; none whatsoever. She remembered things like how to talk and walk, what doors and windows where, how many apples you had leftover if you started out with ten and gave two each to four other people, and so on. But she didn't remember any faces or names from wherever she had come from, nor did she remember where that was. That she remembered her own name surprised her a little.

She was endlessly grateful that Mayor Harvey and his wife had taken her in, because they were as wonderful a pair of parents as an amnesiac girl could ask for. Cecil was a strong, wise, and gentle man, and so respected by the island folk that he was the only mayor they'd had since he was chosen for the position some twenty years ago, and Rosa was as warm and motherly as they come; her own inability to bear a child had grieved her for years, so she considered it nothing short of the Light's most gracious blessing that Kairi had turned up on _their_ shores. Rosa was also supremely demure and well-mannered, and had done her utmost to impart those qualities to her adopted daughter.

Of particular importance to her was that a lady must eat like a lady. She had emphasized this lesson so well that Kairi could hardly imagine any girl eating like certain _boys_ she knew liked to eat. Even _Selphie_ knew how to eat properly, and in most other regards she wasn't very ladylike. At least, not by the unyielding example Rosa Harvey had set. And Destiny Islands was a land of abundance with a close-knit community, so it was unheard of for anyone to go very long without eating. As such, Kairi had gone the whole nine years that she could remember without ever seeing a grown woman eating like a starving man.

Until Tifa Lockhart had dinner at her house.

Kairi couldn't decide which was funniest; her mother's embarrassed blush, her father's poorly-hidden look of amusement, or the almost cartoonish manner in which Tifa wolfed down helping after helping of Rosa's fish stew, accompanied by the occasional quaff of orange juice.

"I'fe ne'er ha' fi'h thi' goo' b'fore," Tifa said before swallowing, "It's really great, Missus Harvey."

"…please, call me Rosa…dear," said Rosa, blushing harder. Tifa smiled back, thinking that it was her compliment that was lighting up the older woman's face. Kairi knew better, and she nearly had to bury her face in her arm to avoid laughing out loud.

With one arm curled behind her head, her other hand patting her slightly-distended belly (which was uncovered by her short top), one foot on the floor and the other on her knee, Tifa leaned back and sighed. "That _really_ hit the spot. I haven't eaten that good since before I left…" she stopped short and clammed up. "Uh, hey, Mr. Mayor, you got anything stronger than OJ around here?"

Women _asking_ for alcohol, when they weren't at the tavern, was another thing Rosa didn't really hold with, but she continued to keep her peace and let her husband do the talking, because the most important rule in her book was that a hostess must never be rude to a guest. Especially when said guest might not know the local customs, as exceedingly rare as that circumstance was. Cecil replied, "Well, we keep a few casks of mead in the cellar for festival and holiday dinners, but since we have such a special guest tonight…why not?"

"I'll get it!" Rosa practically shouted, shooting up out of her seat and hurrying from the table with an odd combination of great haste and uncompromising poise.

"So," said Kairi, leaning forward without putting her elbows on the table (another no-no), "Where _did_ you leave from?"

"Home," replied Tifa evasively. "Well, my home away from home, to be honest," she amended, trading evasive for cryptic.

"And that is?" Kairi pressed.

Cecil sighed and shook his head, chuckling softly. "Ms. Lockhart, you can be honest. We already know about other worlds."

Tifa's eyes widened like saucers and she almost fell back out of her chair. "You do?!"

Cecil nodded, "We have for generations, though not everyone here believes the old stories. As a matter of fact, Kairi here is an Outsider herself. Showed up out of thin air nine years ago with no memory of where she was from."

Tifa gave Kairi an appraising look. "So, that's why you're so persistent. Should have guessed; as many worlds as I've been to, I should notice when someone's out of place. You said she showed up nine years ago?" she asked, turning to Cecil. He nodded. Tifa looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shook her head.

"Hey, have you ever seen something like this?" she asked, pulling something out of her pocket and tossing it to Cecil. It was a purple block, kind of like a brick, but when Cecil squeezed it, it squished a little in his hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A piece of Gummi. It's a special kind of material you can use to make a special kind of ship, one that can carry you between worlds. My Gummi ship crashed, and I need to find new Gummi pieces to repair it before I can leave. Oh, by the way, have you seen any _other_ Outsiders pass through here? A guy with _really_ spiky blonde hair and bright eyes, maybe with a big sword, perhaps?" Tifa asked.

"Sorry, this is the first Gummi I've ever seen, and you're the first Outsider we've had since Kairi," replied Cecil before passing the purple Gummi back to Tifa.

"Nuts…well, have any meteors fallen around here? There was a meteor shower the night I crashed here, and I know at least one of those meteors was a Gummi, because it fell pretty close to me. I sailed my raft this way because I thought I saw some fall this way.

"Yang might have some," Kairi piped up, "Sora, Riku, and I were watching that shower, and we're pretty sure we saw one or two fall on his isle."

"Who's Yang?" Tifa asked.

"An old hermit," replied Cecil, "He used to be a martial arts teacher here, but five years ago he moved to one of the uninhabited islands, out to the west. If you'd like, I can send a letter by messenger bird and ask him about these…Gummi meteors."

"Martial arts teacher, huh?" asked Tifa with a grin, "I wouldn't mind meeting him. Yeah, sure, go ahead. And thanks, Cecil."

"Think nothing of it; it's my job to help people, after all," he replied modestly. About this time, Rosa returned with a tray bearing a tall pitcher of mead and three mugs. Judging by the ruddy tint to her cheeks and her much more easygoing demeanor, Kairi guessed she had indulged in a mug or two in the cellar. Kairi collected the dirty dishes and took them to the sink, where she began to wash them, while Rosa poured a round for herself, her husband, and their guest.

Cecil stood and lifted his mug. "A toast," he said, "To new friends, and to friendship that crosses worlds." Tifa and Rosa lifted their mugs in salute, and they drank deeply.

* * *

Author's Notes:

TIFA!

The early addition of the inimitable Tifa Lockhart was _not_ part of my original concept for this story, but once the idea occurred to me I just couldn't leave it alone. Everything, and I mean literally _everything_ , is better with Tifa. I think KHII proved this rather nicely.

True Final Fantasy fans will recognize my selections for the role of Mr. and Mrs. Kairi's Adopted Parents. Those who _don't_ , they're Cecil and Rosa from Final Fantasy IV. Yang is the Monk from the same game. Alongside VI, VII, and X/X-2, IV is one of my favorite Final Fantasy titles; it's the earliest game in the series that I loved for its plot, and I loved it even more for the characters. Specifically, the relationships between Cecil and Rosa, Cecil and Kain, and _especially_ Cecil and Rydia. Heartwarming, tearjerking, and at times even gutbusting (After all, it's the game that gave us all "You spoony bard!" and by extension, all the references thereof). Before anyone says "But what about XIII?!" or any other of the more recent titles, I should mention this; I've not yet played any FF titles more recent than X-2, because I just don't have the funds. Hell, I'm still gaming on a PS2, and _not_ for nostalgia's sake; it's because I just can't afford a newer console. Hopefully I can do something to rectify this situation in time for the release of Kingdom Hearts III…

So…what do you think so far? Any and all questions, comments, suggestions, _constructive_ criticisms, and writing advice are welcomed and, in fact, very much desired. Review; you know you want to. See you next week!

 _La Vie Boheme!_


	3. 02 - Current of Choices

Tifa crashed on their couch that night, after drinking both of Kairi's parents under their dining room table. They'd certainly gotten on famously, Kairi noted. After a pint or two, Rosa was a much more relaxed person.

"Ms. Lockhart," Kairi whispered loudly, poking her in the arm with the end of a broom, which was tied to another broom, from the other side of the living room. Last night she'd seen the young woman kick a tree down in their backyard on a bet. As impatient as she was for the Outsider to awaken and sate her ravenous curiosity, there was no way she was going to wake her up within arm's reach. Just in case she was the kind who woke up swinging. It was interesting, Kairi thought; she had always heard that people who fell asleep drunk snored tremendously, but such was evidently not the case with Tifa. Not only was she not snoring, but in fact she periodically gave a breathless little sigh that Kairi thought was rather cute.

Next, she tried poking her in the nose, then rubbing her forehead. With a slight blush, mostly at the thought of what her friends might say, Kairi tried prodding her in the…chest area. That didn't work either, but the way they jiggled made Kairi snicker in spite of herself. Finally, Kairi ran to the upstairs bathroom and fetched Cecil's shaving cream, and then plucked a feather from her own pillow. After cautiously filling Tifa's right hand with shaving cream, she tied the feather to the end of her brooms and, from a safe distance, used it to tickle Tifa's nose.

* * *

"And that's why I'm late. I had to buy my mom two new brooms…and I might have to pay for the living room table, too." Kairi and Tifa were standing on the islet's modest little pier, and she had just finished explaining her tardiness to her two dearest friends.

Sora and Riku, however, hadn't heard most of the story, as they were both trying to sneak covert glances at Tifa without being noticed. Riku, who had been paying slightly more attention, said, "Okay, but that doesn't explain why _she_ came with you."

"Well, she's my new little buddy, of course!" said Tifa, picking Kairi up with one arm around her middle and mussing up her hair with the other hand.

"You threw a table at her," Riku recalled.

"That was the hangover, not me," Tifa said in her defense, "See, if it had been _me_ , I wouldn't have missed. I'd never hurt little Red, here."

"Already gave her a pet name, huh?"

"Shut up, Riku! That's not funny," Kairi objected.

"It's _kind_ of funny," countered Sora.

"So anyways, what are we doing today, kiddos?" Tifa asked, finally deigning to set down the impotently squirming Kairi.

"Working on the mphft," said Sora, who got his mouth clamped shut by Riku at the last second.

"The what?" Tifa asked.

"The raft," answered Kairi.

"Kairi!" exclaimed Riku.

"Guys, she's _from another world_. She can help us."

"She's a _grown-up_. She'll tell our parents," Riku stated firmly.

"She might not," Sora pointed out, "She could be an irresponsible grown-up. Or maybe she's the kind of adult who never really grew up inside, you know? Still in touch with her inner child, that sort of thing?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Tifa asked.

Kairi took it upon herself to explain, "We want to explore other worlds, so we're going to build a raft. Think you can help?" she asked hopefully.

There was silence for a moment…and then all the seabirds for miles around were startled into flight by Tifa's abrupt explosion of laughter. She fell backwards on the pier and rolled about a few times, almost falling into the sea in her blind mirth.

"What's so funny?" Riku asked defensively, crossing his arms. " _You_ came in on a raft, didn't you?"

"No," Tifa said breathlessly as she picked herself back up. "I came to your guys' island on a raft, sure, but I came to your _world_ in a Gummi ship. That's the only way you can…well, it's the only way I know of to travel through interspace."

"Inter _what_?" Sora asked.

"Interspace. It's the 'sky' that connects all worlds. To travel from one world to another, you need to fly through interspace on a Gummi ship. I know an old guy who can use magic to teleport between worlds instantly, but he's the only person I know who can do that."

"And how do you build one of those?" Riku asked.

"Well, for starters, you need to know how it's done. I don't; not well enough to build one from scratch, anyhow. You need a genuine Gummi engineer like my friend, Cid. Hopefully, I'll be able to fix the damage to my own ship. Anyways, the other thing you need is Gummi pieces, like this," she pulled the purple Gummi out of her pocket and handed it to Riku.

"It's squishy!" said a surprised Sora when it was his turn. Kairi got her overdue turn at squeezing the Gummi, and then gave it back to Tifa.

"And while there _might_ be enough Gummi on the world to patch up my ship, I doubt there's enough to build a new one, even if you _did_ have an engineer. Sorry kiddos, but you're not getting off this world on your own."

"I don't believe that," said Riku at once. "There has to be a way. Kairi got here, and she didn't have a ship. She just…appeared."

"Sounds familiar," Tifa said wistfully, "It happens more often than you might think. The worlds have been disconnected for a very long time, and there's a lot about them that we still don't understand. Sometimes, weird things like this happen and no one can explain why. Well, Merlin probably could, because he knows _everything_. Or that's the way it seems, anyways. And while we're on the subject of people disappearing, have either of you seen a guy with spiky blonde hair, probably a _gigantic_ sword, and maybe a really angsty expression?" Tifa asked the boys.

"How spiky?" Sora asked.

"Compared to this," added Riku, tugging on one of Sora's locks.

"Hey!"

"Believe it or not, Cloud's hair is _spikier_ than that," said Tifa with a chuckle.

"Sorry, can't help you there," said Riku, "I've never even _heard_ of someone with spikier hair than Sora's."

"Darn," Tifa muttered, "I guess this world really is a dead-end…or maybe that hermit guy knows something?"

"Well, if the raft can't take us to another world, I guess it's a waste of time," concluded Riku with visible reluctance and disappointment.

"Hey, you guys go do your crazy rival thing," said Kairi, "I'm going to give Tifa a tour of the island."

"Neat!"

"Why don't we come with?" Sora asked, "Three tour guides are better than one."

"Nah, I can handle it," Kairi assured him, grabbing Tifa's hand and hurrying along off the pier and up the beach.

"But–" Sora started, cutting himself short when Riku grabbed his shoulder.

"Dude, don't be dense. She wants to be alone with the only other Outsider she's ever met," said the older boy. "She also probably doesn't want us…admiring her figure…the whole time. C'mon, let's go to the Cove and have a race. That always cheers you up."

"Yeah, sure…first-one-there-gets-dibs-on-the-zip-line!" Sora said in a rush before sprinting away. Riku smiled, and then gave pursuit.

* * *

"So, what aren't you telling us?" Kairi asked Tifa as soon as they were alone.

"Huh? About what?" Tifa asked innocently.

"Don't be coy with me, Ms. Lockhart. I can tell when someone's keeping a secret. So can Dad, he's just polite enough not to pry. Twice–just now and last night after dinner–your expression gave away that you know _something_ about people disappearing from worlds and reappearing in other worlds. The guy you're looking for, it happened to him, didn't it?"

"No," Tifa said quickly, "Cloud didn't disappear…he left."

"But you _do_ know something about people disappearing. You know _something_ about how I got here. But you're not sharing. Why?"

"Look, kid, it's kind of complicated," said Tifa with an edge to her voice. Not an annoyed edge, per se, but definitely an 'I wish this kid would drop it' edge.

"So explain it with small words," Kairi persisted.

"I'm not sure I'm _allowed_ , is the thing," Tifa admitted, "There's kind of a rule against talking about other-world stuff with people who don't already know, but you guys do, but that doesn't mean I should tell you _everything_ , and there are certain things I definitely _shouldn't_ tell you because it would just freak you out and knowing wouldn't really help anyways, and I'm just not sure what's okay to share and what isn't…oh man, my head hurts now." Tifa started messaging her temples. Kairi stopped walking and glanced downwards, pondering her next attempt to pry out Tifa's secrets. She noticed a few seashells embedded in the sand. Specifically…

Tifa noticed Kairi wasn't beside her anymore, and turned around to see the redhead kneeling in the sand, gently extracting a few shells from said sand. Try saying that really fast five times. "Hey, whatcha doing now?" the buxom brunette inquired, kneeling down by her.

"Collecting thalassa shells. Mom taught me how to make a special kind of charm with them. Like this," Kairi pulled out her good luck charm to illustrate her explanation.

"Ooh, pretty~…" Tifa cooed.

"Yeah…I was thinking maybe I should make good luck charms for Sora and Riku, to prepare for our journey, but it seems that won't be happening now," Kairi said wistfully. "You know, it's funny…ever since I woke up in this world, the thought of leaving it has scared me," she admitted as she pried the third shell from the sand and softly blew it clean, "But now…I'm a little more conflicted. On the one hand, exploring other worlds sounds like an amazing adventure, but…"

"Yeah?" asked Tifa, "Hey, c'mon; I won't tell anyone. I can keep a secret."

"Well, I've just…been having strange dreams, lately. I can't help but feel like something bad is coming, so maybe I _should_ leave. But what if leaving leads me straight to it…or even worse, what if leaving isn't enough to escape it?"

"Wow. Those are some deep thoughts for a little girl," Tifa observed. "You're like, what, ten?"

"I'm fourteen," Kairi said with bristles in her voice. She added a fifth and final shell to her collection and deposited the lot in her pocket before standing and brushing sand off her knees.

"Still, way too young for such ponderous pondering…heh-heh. I made a funny."

* * *

It didn't take very long for Kairi and Tifa to walk all the way around the isle. Kairi was mildly surprised to find that Sora and Riku _weren't_ sparring by the paopu tree as per usual. Instead, as they passed the cove, they found Tidus and Wakka carefully constructing a firepit. Like, _really_ carefully. They were conferring in hushed tones with energetic gesturing, making small adjustments and then undoing them before redoing them a little differently. Tidus appeared to have brought a handbook for the purpose. Either that or he wanted to find out if it would make decent kindling; who knew with _that_ kid. From Tidus (Wakka was too busy making precise corrections to the arrangement of the kindling to participate in conversation) they learned that their peers decided that today was a good day for a special island lunch. Sora and Riku had gone off to catch fish (and they'd be keeping score, no doubt) while Selphie had gone off to hunt down a coconut or two. Maybe even a seagull egg.

Kairi's first question was, "Who's getting the mushrooms?" Tidus's bemused look (Wakka was still not paying attention, nudging a specific dead palm leaf half a millimeter at a time with his face still screwed up in agonizing concentration) had told Kairi all she needed to know. So she had taken it upon herself to set out, with Tifa in tow, on an epic quest for delicious fungus of the highest caliber. Along the way they were intercepted by Selphie, who requested Tifa's help to retrieve a seagull egg from the top of a tall palm tree, as the best tree climbers on the isle were preoccupied with their fishing competition. (It had escalated to the point where they had both abandoned their rods and dove into the shallows to catch the fish by hand, like real men.)

Tifa, being the nice lady she was, happily agreed to aid the vigorous young girl who for some reason reminded her of a certain ninjatastic friend of hers. So it was that Kairi alone entered the neatly tucked away little hole that the boys and girls of the isle liked to call…The Secret Place. It was, naturally, the best place to find mushrooms, and Kairi never passed on an opportunity to admire the wall drawings that kids had been making for generations. Especially the one she and Sora had made some years ago.

She wasn't expecting the door, because as far as she could recall it had never been there before. Nor was she expecting the brown-cloaked stranger, and when she noticed him she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Who the _hell_ are you?" she asked, suddenly wishing she had some kind of something she could defend herself with. Sora and Riku's insistence on keeping their wooden swords on them at all times suddenly didn't seem so silly.

"I've come to see the door to this world," replied the figure in a deep, unmistakably masculine voice.

"The door…this door?" Kairi asked, glancing at the inexplicable door out of the corner of her eye. "Wait…the door to this world? You mean…does this door lead to the outside world?"

"That's one way of putting it. This world has been connected, at last," said the stranger.

"Connected? To what?" Kairi asked. Her curiosity suddenly shoved her sense of foreboding out of the way, and then kicked it in the head when it tried to talk back.

"Tied to the darkness…soon to be completely eclipsed," explained the stranger, in a way that didn't really explain anything.

"I…I don't know what you mean…and I'm not sure I want to know, either," admitted Kairi, her sense of foreboding raising back up, hulking out, and beginning to take its bloody vengeance out on her curiosity.

The stranger turned his hooded head, and although Kairi couldn't see his eyes she got the sudden sense that he was staring straight into hers. He was silent for a long moment, and then said, "You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."

"Yeah, thought we already established that," said Kairi, trying to cover up her trepidation with moodiness. If there was one thing she had learned from the grown-ups on the islands, it was that most adults were utterly terrified of moody teenaged girls. "So, what _is_ behind this door? Is it the outside world, or the darkness you were talking about?"

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little," said the stranger, almost sounding sad. Or maybe Kairi imagined it. He was pretty monotonous, so it was hard to be sure.

"Okay, look, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing here, but I'm done talking to you. I'm going back to my friends, _who are expecting me back any minute now_ , with my mushrooms so we can have a nice lunch and–"

"A meaningless effort," the stranger interjected, turning back to the door, "One who knows nothing can understand nothing." He almost seemed to be talking to himself now.

"Hey, Kairi!" called Sora's voice from outside. "You in here?" Then something really weird happened. The stranger…he just wasn't there anymore. Kairi was certain she hadn't taken her eyes off of him or blinked or anything like that. He just…stopped being there. For a half second, Kairi wondered if she had imagined it. Were her crazy dreams spilling over into crazy daydreams now? Then Sora emerged from around the corner, toy sword in one hand and a large skin full of water in the other. "There you are. Selphie said you went mushroom hunting, so I was pretty sure I'd find you here. Uh, what are you staring at? Whoa, where'd that door come from?!"

Kairi tore her eyes from the door and gawked at Sora. "You can see it too? I don't know, it was just here when I came in, but it wasn't here the last time I was in here."

"Huh. Neat," said Sora, walking up to the door. "Maybe a wizard did it? Where do you think it goes?"

" _This world has been connected, at last…tied to the darkness…soon to be completely eclipsed."_

"I don't know," said Kairi, "And I'm not sure I want to know. C'mon, let's–SORA, NO!" she screamed, tackling her friend to the ground when he put his hand on the doorknob.

"Kairi!" Sora yelped, "C'mon, Kairi, it's just a _door_. Doors were made to be opened–"

"They were also made to be closed," Kairi countered, "To keep people out."

"Or keep them in," said Sora, who had stopped struggling and was now looking thoughtful. That actually made Kairi nervous. When she or Riku or any other normal person started thinking, they usually stuck to just thinking, and if they did something about it they did it with caution and planning. When _Sora_ started thinking, he tended to put his thoughts into action right away, usually with disastrous, if admittedly pretty hilarious, results. "Kairi!" he gasped, "What if it's a magic door that leads to the _outside world_?!"

"No, Sora!" said Kairi, turning her friend over and sitting on his chest. She leaned down and held his face in both of her hands, leaning in until their noses were almost touching. Once Sora was blushing hard enough that _his_ face was warming up _her_ face, she continued, "Listen to me, Sora. I don't know where that door came from, or why it appeared, or what's on the other side. And I don't know how I know this, but I _do_ know that opening that door will bring nothing but pain and misfortune to _everyone_ , okay? Call it woman's intuition. Now, what are you going to do?"

"Not try to open the weird mysterious door," answered Sora.

"Good…and who are we going to tell about this?"

"Uh…just Riku?" Sora guessed. Kairi frowned. "Ms. Lockhart?" Kairi narrowed her eyes. "…your dad?" Kairi glared deeply into his soul. "No one! We're not telling _anyone_ …right?"

Kairi ceased her soul-glaring, un-narrowed her eyes, and smiled. Patting Sora's cheek, she said, "Good~ Sora~" She got up and helped him to his feet. "Now, let's go join the others for lunch, okay?"

"Uh, sure…actually, you go ahead. There's something I need to do first," he said, setting down the waterskin and his toy sword.

"Sora," Kairi began sternly.

"Hey, I'm not going to touch the door, I _promise_ ," said Sora, crouching and picking up a piece of chalk. "Just wanna draw something, that's all."

"Hmm…alright, I guess," said Kairi. Sora was certainly mischievous, but he wasn't the kind to go back on a promise. She turned and started away, but Sora spoke up again.

"Hey, you wanna take the water with you?"

Kairi turned around to tell him off for being lazy, but she never got the words out. Too late, she realized her fatal mistake; Sora hit her full-on with that trademark dorky smile of his, and suddenly Kairi couldn't hear her own thoughts over the wild hammering of her heart. _'Damn you, Sora…no fair,'_ she thought as she blushed and mumbled, "Yeah, sure." She snatched up the waterskin and marched out of the cave.

* * *

Later that night, Kairi and the others had all returned home. Kairi felt out of sorts and decided to go lay down for a while. On her way up the stairs, she overheard Cecil tell Tifa that Yang was coming over to the main island in the morning, but his reply message had said nothing about Gummis. Feeling oddly light-headed and slightly nauseous, she crawled under her bedcovers and curled up into a ball. She didn't know about the light-headedness, but she recognized the pseudo-nausea. It was anxiety, like the time Sora had almost drowned five years ago. Kairi had literally been sick with worry then, and though this wasn't as intense as that had been, the feeling was similar.

Something about that cloaked stranger and his enigmatic message, and _everything_ about that door, filled her with a deep sense of unease. She closed her eyes, and she saw things she had meant to forget about long ago. The sky darkened like pitch in the middle of the day, people running around screaming and being chased down by dark creatures with glowing yellow eyes, and chunks of the world being yanked up into the sky before disappearing…

She remembered huddling in the basement with her grandmother, holding her close and stroking her hair and whispering reassurances in her ears. And then a flash of light, a feeling of weightlessness, and a sense of timelessness that made her wonder if she had drifted for less than a second or more than a thousand years. The next thing she knew she was waking up, laying on her back on a white sand beach, the surf lapping at her feet and the sun pouring warmth into her body. Warmth that felt so _good_ after the chilling darkness that had so suddenly consumed her world that it made her cry. For days, or more likely just under an hour, she laid there and sobbed, until a white-haired man in his early thirties came upon her, scooped her up in his steel-cord arms and carried her to his home that would become her home.

Kairi had been mute for weeks, and when she finally felt as though she could begin to speak to people, she made a decision. Whatever had happened to her world had happened without warning and without any discernable reason. Thus, it could happen again with just as little warning or reason, to any world. If she told people the truth, they would forever live in mortal terror that their own seemingly idyllic world might one day be sucked up into a maelstrom of darkness…or, more likely, they would decide she was crazy because that would be so much easier to accept than the haunting alternative.

So, as far as Kairi was concerned, there was no way any of it had been real. The whole thing had just been an insane nightmare that there was no good reason for her to share with anyone, and everything she thought she remembered of her old world was just a fantasy. She decided she had no memory, no past, and nothing to worry about. And after nine years, she was able to believe her own lie; she repressed her old world and the horrible night it had come to an end, and in time she had even stopped having the nightmares.

Until now, when that damned stranger's words had brought the dark memories rising back up. "This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness," he had said, "Soon to be completely eclipsed." Kairi's anxiety-nausea hit a peak and she threw herself out of bed, scrambling for her waste basket because the bathroom was too far away, and hurling up her mushrooms, fish, coconut and scrambled seagull egg. _'It's going to happen again,'_ she realized with an icy feeling of dread lancing deeply into her gut. _'Something is going to open that door, and then it's all going to happen again. Another world will be lost, and even if I'm saved by another miracle, all of these people…Mom and Dad, Sora, Riku, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus. Ms. Lockhart…Ms. Lockhart! Maybe she can help!'_

Her brainwave shocking the sickness straight out of her mind, Kairi leapt up and dashed to the bathroom to rinse her mouth out. Then she got into her closet and pulled out the toy sword Cecil had carved for her years ago, back when she had wanted to join in Sora and Riku's fun. After breaking a knuckle and deciding she didn't care for the calluses she was developing, she had decided she wasn't interested and stopped practicing…except, again, for on certain occasions when she was bored and no one else was around. _'Well, minimal practice is better than none whatsoever…but hopefully I won't even need it.'_

She tossed the sword out her window and dashed back downstairs. To her surprise, her mother wasn't making dinner. Tifa was, and from the looks (and smells) of it, she was _much_ more experienced in kitchen matters than Kairi had been given to think. As a matter of fact, she was positively _dancing_ between the cupboards and the stove with the bubbling pots on it, humming quite cheerfully as she did so. Rosa, sitting at the table and mending one of Cecil's socks, looked not only surprisingly okay with someone else taking a turn at cooking detail, but also more than a little impressed. "Um," Kairi began somewhat awkwardly, "Hey, guys."

"Kairi! Are you feeling better, sweetheart?" Rosa asked.

"Yeah, uh, would it be okay if Ms. Lockhart took me back to the islet real quick? I just realized I lost my good luck charm, and…" Kairi trailed off when she saw her mother's grave expression.

"I don't think so, dear. It looks like a storm is brewing outside," said Rosa with clear regret. She knew how much that charm meant to her adopted daughter.

"A storm?" asked Kairi, the cold feeling creeping back into her stomach and making it churn anew.

"Yes," said Cecil, who also sat at the table reading a book, "Very strange. The sky got pretty dark all of a sudden, and the wind is picking up." Now that Kairi stopped and listened, she realized that a good howling wind was indeed starting to build up outside.

"Oh…o-okay," said Kairi, trying not to let her impending panic attack show on her face. "Well, I'll, uh…just let me know when dinner's down, okay? I'm gonna go out and see if I dropped it somewhere between here and the docks."

"Here, I'll come with you," offered Cecil, putting his book down and moving to stand.

"No!" shouted Kairi. Cecil looked confused, and Rosa and Tifa stared at her. Kairi's face pinked quickly, but she recovered and said in her moodiest-without-being-outright-disrespectful voice, "I'm fourteen, Dad, I can handle it myself."

"I…okay, but–" Cecil began.

"Dear," said Rosa, giving her husband a knowing smile.

"Right…well, then, be careful out there, Kairi."

"Of course…love you!" Kairi shouted over her shoulder as she raced out of her house, not knowing that it would be a very long time before she returned to it.


	4. 03 - Maelstrom of Consequence

By the time Kairi reached the lonely pier of the islet, her arms were so sore from fighting the waves that she barely had the strength to properly moor her rowboat. But she did, because she didn't want her parents to find her stranded on the islet the next day and ask her why she had disobeyed them. Kairi sat down on the pier and waited for the strength to return to her limbs, her toy sword tucked into her belt the way Sora and Riku were fond of carrying them. She didn't wait too long, though; the 'storm' was fully under way by now, and it felt so much like that storm nine years ago that it brought her buried memories back to the fore with even greater clarity. But there was still hope, because the world wasn't breaking up yet.

Kairi stood up and shook her arms out; weary or not, she couldn't afford to waste any more time. She started running towards the Secret Place as fast as she could, entirely focused on the task at hand. She was not going to sit idly by while her home disappeared all around her a second time. She wished Tifa had come with her. She was sure Tifa knew what to do, but even if she didn't her presence would have been a great comfort. Kairi looked all around her as she ran, and she was certain she saw the yellow-eyed Shadows again, but if they were there she wasn't going to let them catch her. She was as fast as Sora and Riku, just not as competitive. Still, she could feel the darkness gathering in strength all around her, and she felt as if her own strength was beginning to ebb. It felt as though the darkness was pressing in on her, making her feel heavier and smaller; a tiny helpless and insignificant pebble in a raging river of evil energy. Kairi thought again of her friends and family, and found strength in the knowledge that she held their fate in her hands.

She neared the Secret Place, which was covered by another door, silvery-white and more ornately decorated than the other inexplicable door. Before she could reach for the doorknob, she was distracted by a sudden cry of pain; the wind was practically roaring in her ears by now, so it must have been a _really_ loud scream, which meant a _lot_ of pain for whoever was doing the screaming. And worst of all, the thing that made her turn her back on the door and start running even harder in the opposite direction, was that it sounded like–

"Sora!" screamed Kairi as she raced towards the paopu tree. When she got close enough to see what was going on through the obscuring darkness, she was stopped short by what she saw before her. It made no sense at all–it was _impossible_ –but there it was. Sora on the ground, clutching his bleeding arm with his toy sword broken in half at his feet, staring in disbelief up at a wild-eyed Riku, who held what appeared to be a giant key in his hand. "Riku! What happened?" asked Kairi as she ran across the bridge, hoping with all her heart that it wasn't as bad as it looked. Surely it was the Shadows who had hurt Sora, and Riku was there to protect him.

But then Riku turned and looked her in the eyes, and Kairi didn't like what she saw in his. There was a mania to them, and Kairi took a step backwards involuntarily. "Kairi, it's okay," said Riku, "The darkness isn't to be feared; it's opened the way for us to leave, at last."

"What did you do to Sora?" Kairi demanded, trying to keep her fear out of her voice. There was no reason to be afraid of _Riku_ of all people, she told herself. He was her and Sora's best friend. He would _never_ –

"I had to," Riku said bluntly, and Kairi felt her heart skip a beat, "He was trying to stop me from opening the door. He was trying to stop us from leaving."

"Kairi said the door was bad news!" Sora shouted, pushing himself back up to his feet. "She said we couldn't open it, no matter what!"

"And what would Kairi know?" Riku snapped back, "She doesn't remember anything from before she came here. She doesn't know what's behind the door, just like he said."

"You opened the door?" Kairi asked, the cold feeling in her gut shrinking and hardening as if turning into a hailstone.

"Yeah," said Riku, holding up his key. "The Key came to me, and he said that beyond the door–"

"He lied to you!" Kairi screamed, yanking her own wooden sword out of her belt.

… _to fight…_

"You _idiot_!" Kairi shouted, brandishing the toy sword, "There's nothing beyond the door but darkness! Darkness that'll swallow this world and take away everyone we care about!"

… _time…fight…_

"Kairi…Sora…you're just afraid, that's all," said Riku, attempting to sound soothing. Kairi just thought he sounded crazy. "There's no reason to be afraid of the darkness, though! As long as we stick together, we'll be alright."

"You're not listening to me, Riku," said Kairi, rage and sorrow fighting each other inside of her. "If you can't hear what I'm saying…if you've already embraced the darkness that's come to doom us all…then just get away from Sora," she said, pointing her weapon at him. Riku's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Shock and disbelief were clearly written all over his face. Sora he had expected to resist–he could be so stubborn and short-sighted sometimes–but Kairi? She was supposed to be more sensible. How could she not see that this was their only chance to escape the tiny world that imprisoned them all?

 _It's time…fight…again…_

Kairi dashed forward at Riku, sword in both hands, and jumped up and swung down like she had seen him and Sora do a million times.

… _time to fight…it?_

Outrage chased away and replaced the shock on Riku's face and he snarled as he swung up with his weapon to deflect Kairi's airborne assault. He swung so hard that the piece of wood instantly snapped in half, and Kairi was sent flying backwards. Riku was breathing heavily, his eyes narrowed and even wilder looking. "Kairi…" he said angrily.

"RIKU! How could you?!" Sora demanded. Righteous fury burned in his eyes, and Riku's weapon disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in Sora's hand. Raising his new weapon overhead, Sora charged at Riku, who now looked even more bewildered than before. As Sora swung, however, darkness sprang up all around him and Riku, and they disappeared without a trace.

"Riku! Sora!" Kairi shouted, "No…don't leave me…don't disappear," she pleaded the empty space in front of her. The Shadows started creeping closer, but she didn't notice them. "I'm alone again…I'm all alone."

 _Don't cry, Kairi,_ said the voice from her dreams. This time, Kairi heard her words clearly, and she stood up and looked around for her. This time, she noticed the Shadows that had her surrounded. _It's time to fight the Darkness again, isn't it?_

"I…I can't…I don't know how–"

 _Well, first thing's first. You'll need the Keyblade,_ said the voice. _That's why you can hear me. We're connected, because I passed the Keyblade down to you years ago, without meaning to. Call to it, Kairi. Reach out to the Light and use it to drive back the Darkness._

"But I don't–"

 _Do it, Kairi! If you hesitate you'll die!_

A Shadow leapt at Kairi, going straight for the throat, and Kairi swung blindly without thinking. A blinding light whitewashed the world around her and faded away just as quickly. Strangest of all, though, was the way her nose was suddenly filled with the scent of paopu fruit; she hadn't smelled it a moment ago, as the tree was downwind from her, but now it was as if a freshly cut paopu was right under her nose. Her vision returned as the spots in her eyes cleared, and she saw the Shadow falling backwards in two pieces.

She glanced down at whatever it was that had appeared in her hand, but before she could process the details she felt an evil presence behind her and tumbled forward just in time to dodge another Shadow's attempted sneak attack. For a few seconds she didn't know what she was doing, just moving on instinct thrusting and slashing with her new weapon in only one hand, using her other hand to cart wheel out of the way of the Shadows' lunges. Then one of the Shadows melted into the ground and moved under her feet, extending one claw to grab her ankle and making her trip up. She slashed at it with her weapon, and she looked up in time to see three more Shadows leap through the air at her, descending with claws outstretched. Fear froze Kairi solid, but then a flying blur tore through one Shadow and struck the second, knocking it into the third and sending them tumbling into the sea. Lightning flashed, and Kairi saw that it was Tifa Lockhart who had just saved her with a dynamic flying kick.

"Get up, Kairi!" she shouted over the storm that raged around them, "This fight isn't over yet!" Then Tifa began _her_ battle-dance, becoming a whirlwind of limbs that blasted every Shadow within her reach into fading wisps. Kairi jumped up and rejoined the fray, and after almost hitting Tifa on accident for the second time the two put their backs to each other and focused on hitting just what was in front of them. In little time they had made short work of the Shadows, and Kairi promptly fell on her hands and knees gasping for breath. She started dry heaving and felt that she certainly would have thrown up again if her stomach weren't still empty. "Come on, Kairi," said Tifa gently, kneeling beside her and offering a hand, "More will show up soon, count on it. We have to get out of here."

"And go where?" Kairi asked weakly, taking Tifa's hand and letting her pull her up to her feet. "The Darkness is going to tear this world apart and swallow the pieces. There's nowhere _to_ go…it's just like last time."

"Radiant Garden," said Tifa somberly. "You remembered, didn't you?"

"I never really forgot. I was just pretending," Kairi admitted, "I guess I pretended so well that I made myself think I _had_ forgotten." She took advantage of the respite to glance down at the weapon that had inexplicably appeared in her hand. It had the general shape of a massive key, like the one Riku and Sora had held, but very different in design. The hilt was black and thin and framed by a heart shaped guard. Half of the guard was shaped like a wave, while the other half was tan and looked somewhat like sand. The sandy side of the guard continued in a tendril that curled around the shaft of the key, or the blade of the sword; Kairi wasn't sure. It certainly seemed to function like a sword. The shaft/blade started out a pale shade of yellow at the base and transitioned into a deep red at the end, reminding Kairi of the horizon at sunset. If it _were_ a key, then its 'teeth' would be the bouquet of flowers that sprouted out of the sandy vine, and those flowers outlined a heart shape. At the opposite end, the 'key-sword's pummel, there was silky red cord and a charm most unmistakably shaped like a paopu fruit dangling from the end of it. She remembered that something had been hanging on a short chain from the butt of Riku's key, but she hadn't gotten a good look at it.

 _The door…has to be sealed…_

"I know what I have to do," Kairi said, turning and starting over the bridge.

"Kairi, we have to go!" insisted Tifa.

"And do what?" Kairi shot back without slowing down, "The only way off this world is your ship, which is apparently in no shape to fly and, even if it were, we don't have time to get to it. Our only hope is to stop the Darkness. I have to close the door."

"Well…dang it, you've got me there," Tifa admitted. Kairi broke into a run, and Tifa ran after her. "Don't think I'm letting you do it alone, though!"

Halfway to the door blocking the Secret Place, more Shadows appeared _en masse_. All at once, the storm seemed to suddenly kick up its intensity. "No time to waste!" said Tifa, screaming just so Kairi could hear her over the wind, "Get to the door, I'll deal with these things!" Tifa charged ahead, smacked and swatting Shadows aside while Kairi followed close behind. For the first time, Kairi noticed that when Tifa destroyed a Shadow it didn't release any of the sparkling pink heart-shapes that she saw when she destroyed one with her new weapon. What did that mean? Kairi couldn't help but wonder.

They finally reached the door, and Tifa kept the Shadows at bay while Kairi started tugging at the door's knob. It wouldn't budge, to her frustration.

 _Use the Keyblade…point, and_ will _the door to open for you._

Kairi obeyed the mysterious voice and took a step backwards, pointing her weapon at the door. A beam of light shot out of the tip and into the door's keyhole. A 'click' sound rang clearly through the air, and Kairi thought she felt a matching sensation resonate through her hands as they gripped the handle of the Keyblade. Without further delay, she yanked open the door and dashed through, Tifa close behind her. The Secret Place was the same as ever, but in the unnatural darkness it seemed much more menacing. The cave amplified the howling wind outside until it sounded outright demonic, like the wails of the damned. Kairi wounded the corner and saw the door, miraculously still closed–Riku had lied–but there also was the hooded stranger. "Too little, too late…you know nothing, so you understand nothing. You cannot fight what you cannot comprehend."

Then the door, which Kairi belatedly noticed had been slightly ajar, swung wide open and expelled an overpowering gale that blew her and Tifa right back outside. Kairi pushed herself back up to her feet and looked around, and a feeling of dread seized her so completely that she would have sworn her body temperature had just nose-dived. For the second time she watched as her world started breaking apart, the pieces drifting upward into a horrific black vortex in the sky. Even as Tifa stood back up, Kairi sank to her knees. Her expression one of total defeat, her will completely broken by the simple fact that she had failed to do as she had resolved she would. She was too stunned even to cry, though a tear did spill from her eye and roll down her cheek. Kairi wanted to scream at the futility of it all, but before she could do that she felt a tremor through the ground. She looked up and saw a Darkside, like the one from her dream, looming over the island. She tried to stand, but a wave of nausea swept over her and she stumbled. She almost hurled again, and it felt as though someone had stuffed cotton into her ears; everything sounded fuzzy and distant.

 _We can't give up, Kairi,_ the voice told her. _Your heart is made of Light, and that's why the Darkness is sapping your strength. You have to fight it; make your Light shine brighter, and the Darkness won't be able to smother it._

"But how?" Kairi asked out loud. She felt like her heart was being strangled and sawed in half at the same time. It hurt so much that she just wanted to go to sleep to escape the pain. Something told her that sleep would shelter her, and the thought of respite appealed to her so much that her eyelids started drooping.

 _Don't go to sleep! I'm not losing you like I lost_ him _, damn it! Think of those who mean the most to you; the more your heart is connected to others, the stronger you will be, and the brighter your Light will shine. Trust your heart, Kairi!_

"I'll try," Kairi muttered. She tried to concentrate, to summon memories of Cecil, Rosa, Sora, Riku, Selphie, and all the others who had become part of her heart the last nine years. Unfortunately the Darkness was clouding her mind, making it hard to think clearly. She felt like she was empty inside, like she'd just cave inwards any second, and then she felt lightheaded. Her eyes rolled and she fell backwards into the sand. Not even the voice of her mysterious advisor could reach her now; the Darkness seeped into her mind, obscuring all of the bright happy memories and leaving her with nothing but her worst fears. The Darkness couldn't find purchase in her heart, however, but neither was the Light within strong enough to push outwards. The Darkside noticed the tiny human with the bright Light inside, and turned its attention on her. It began stomping towards her.

Lost in the dark haze in her mind, Kairi sank deeper and deeper, into memories she had discarded for so long, and through the silence of oblivion she heard an old voice she had all but forgotten. An old story that she had long ago engraved into her heart. _"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of Light. Everyone loved the Light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And Darkness was born in their hearts. The Darkness spread, swallowing the Light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of Light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of Light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true Light sleeps, deep within the Darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost Darkness will open, and the true Light will return. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest Darkness, there will always be a Light to guide you. Believe in the Light, and the Darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the Darkness away."_

The Darkside towered over her now, even as she struggled to hold on to consciousness and tried to get back up. Disgusted by the bright Light before it, the Darkside raised one fist over its head and began swinging it down to smash Kairi into a pulp. Another memory flashed before her eyes; a beautiful young woman with blue hair, touching her necklace. _"There. I've cast a magic spell on you, Kairi. Someday, if you find yourself threatened by the Darkness again, your heart will be connected to mine. Then I'll be able to guide you."_

" _Thank you, Aqua,"_ thought Kairi, echoing what she had said all those years ago.

 _Kairi!_ Aqua's voice screamed in her head, jolting her out of her stupor. Kairi's eyes flew wide open and she sat up, shaking the fog out of her brain. She looked up, just in time to see the Darkside's fist coming down on her.

Then, once again, Tifa saved her life; she slid in front of Kairi and threw her hands up, catching the massive shadowy fist. Tifa's knees bent, but she didn't buckle; the force of the impact passed through her body and made a shockwave ripple out, throwing sand everywhere. "You'll…have…to try…harder…than that!" she grunted.

Tifa flexed her arms, ready to throw the Darkside back, but Kairi shouted, "Hold him there!" The girl stood up, calling Destiny's Embrace to her hand, and Tifa dug her fingers into the Darkside's shadowy flesh and _pulled down_ , beating the behemoth at a game of tug-o-war with its own appendage. Kairi jumped up onto the monster's wrist and started dashing up its arm. As she ran, her mind was flooded with memories…

Sitting next to Cecil on the end of the dock, learning how to fish; Cecil stood up and hauled a big one out of the water, only for it to smack him in the face…

Rosa tucking her in at night, telling her a silly bedtime story about a princess that saved her castle from a dragon while all the knights were sick with the flu…

Looking down at Sora's unconscious form, screaming for him to wake up while his father pushed down on his chest and breathed life-giving air into his mouth…

Jumping on Riku's back and yanking on his hair after he accidentally knocked her over and didn't apologize…

Bringing a 'get well' cupcake she had baked herself over to Selphie's house when she was sick with chickenpox, proud of herself for doing something nice for her friend but disappointed when she was told she couldn't give it to Selphie in person…

Laughing hysterically when Wakka threw his ball at Tidus, who tried to bat it away with his stick, only to catch it with his gut…

Kairi let her memories flow through her, the good and the bad, and letting every emotion fuel the fire inside her. She reached inside and felt the Light in her heart, and willed it to shine brighter than the midsummer sun at noon. She focused her Light into the Keyblade, and as soon as she had reached the Darkside's shoulder she swung at its neck. This time, it cleaved all the way through, and the Darkside's head tumbled towards the sand.

The Darkside's body began evaporating, a giant sparkling heart flying free, and Kairi fell towards the ground. Tifa jumped up and caught her, and just then gravity seemed to cease, leaving them hanging there in the air. "It's okay, sweetie; I'm here. I won't let you go," she whispered in Kairi's ear.

The world around them came undone at the seams, and Darkness pressed in around them on all sides…

And then Light erupted.

…

…

…

On another world, far away, two cloaked figures stalked the streets of a city under the night sky. The shorter one glanced up, stopped short, and nudged his companion and said, "Look! A star went out."

"That means another world's disappeared," the taller one stated, sounding concerned. "C'mon. The sooner we find Mr. Leon, the sooner we'll get to the bottom of all this."

The two continued onwards while their companion, a dog named Pluto, detected an interesting scent he had never smelled before. The scent of paopu fruit. He followed it down an alley, and another link in the chain of destiny was forged.


	5. 04 - Traverse Town

Kairi was back in the Dive to the Heart. She looked around, then up, and then forward. Taking a deep breath, she shouted, "AQUA! Where are you?!"

 _Right here…you don't have to shout,_ Aqua's voice replied from the darkness surrounding her.

"Sorry…I remember you now. You saved me from those creatures ten years ago."

 _That's right. I've been lost in the dark for a long time, but then I felt my heart touched by another; yours._

"The spell you put on me. It must have activated when Destiny Islands was connected to the Darkness."

 _I'm glad it came in handy._

"So…now what? I've lost another world to the Darkness…how can I get it back?" Kairi asked desperately.

 _You'll need Riku's help. He can wield the Keyblade as well. I've been to your islands before, and I met him and Sora. I could sense that someone had Bequeathed the Keyblade to him._

"But…he hurt Sora. He almost hurt me," said Kairi, her heart aching from the memory.

 _But he's still your friend, isn't he? Sometimes friends lose their way…sometimes they're led astray. I know how you feel, Kairi, but you can't give up on him. Have faith in him, and in Sora; when I met them as children, I gave him a special job to do, and I believe he can do it. Trust your friends, and together you'll always be able to overcome the Darkness. I'm still fighting to save my friends, too._

"…okay. I'll do my best," Kairi said resolutely.

 _You need to wake up now, Kairi. You have a long journey ahead of you, and you can't sleep through it. When you need me, I'll be here for you._

Kairi woke up…

…

…

…

…to find that something was sniffing at her face. A dog. "Uh, hello?" she said to the friendly pooch. She looked around, taking note that she was in an alley, in the middle of some kind of city. Tifa was nowhere in sight. "I could have sworn she was with me," Kairi muttered, absent-mindedly scratching Pluto behind the ears. She turned to the dog and said, "Hey, boy, have you seen my friend? Long dark hair with…uh…a big shirt?"

"Why are you talking to a dog?" asked a new voice; a young woman by the sound of it. Kairi jumped up to her feet and turned to face the newcomer. Kairi quickly relaxed; the stranger was only a couple years older than her at most, and her demeanor was so friendly and inviting that she was instantly disarmed. "They don't usually talk back, you know," she added.

"Sorry, I…my name is Kairi, and I'm from…uh…hey, you haven't seen my friend around, have you?" asked Kairi, too distracted by recent events to keep her train of thought straight.

"The one you were describing to that dog?" asked the girl. Kairi nodded. The girl shrugged. "I just got here. Some new guys just got into town and they're looking for a friend of mine, so I was tailing them to find out if they're going to be trouble or not. But then this dog came down here and I got curious. Name's Yuffie Kisaragi," she added, extending her hand.

Kairi accepted the handshake, and Yuffie proceeded to floor her by asking, "So, your world got swallowed up too, huh? Rough; those Heartless just don't know when to quit, do they?"

Kairi's eyes widened. "You know about other worlds?"

"Well, yeah! This is Traverse Town!" exclaimed Yuffie, throwing her arms out wide, "Everyone who loses their world and survives winds up here."

"Oh…well, I didn't. The first time, I mean," Kairi clarified when Yuffie looked confused.

"First time? You've lost your world more than once? How'd that happen?"

"Well, after I lost my first world I wound up on Destiny Islands, and _then_ –"

"Kairi!" exclaimed Tifa's voice from above. Kairi and Yuffie both looked up just in time to see Tifa jump down from the edge of a rooftop.

"Tifa!" exclaimed Yuffie excitedly.

"Yuffie?!" replied Tifa, surprised.

"I take it you two know each other?" Kairi asked rhetorically.

"Yeah…remember when I told you about my home away from home? Well…" said Tifa, spreading out her arms.

" _This_ is where you're from?" asked Kairi.

"Not originally. But yeah, Cloud and I, like so many other people, wound up here after our world disappeared," Tifa explained, "I don't think _anyone_ is originally from Traverse Town…except maybe the Moogles. Now c'mon, we need to talk to Leon. You know where he is, Yuffie?"

"Uh…yeah, I think he's hanging around Cid's shop right now," said Yuffie. "Why do you need to talk to him?" she asked as she turned to lead the way.

Tifa and Kairi followed her out of the alley, and Tifa replied, "Because the last time I was here, Leon asked me to keep an eye out for something, and if I could to bring it back to him…and I think I might have found it."

Moments later, Tifa led Yuffie and Kairi, who was practically dragging her own feet by now, into a store. "Hello, Highwind," Tifa greeted jovially to the scruffy-and-surly-looking gentleman behind the counter.

He sat up straighter and his eyes widened before he cracked a broad grin. "Why as I live an' breath, if it ain't li'l Miss Lockhart, blowin' through like a regular tumbleweed. Whatcha need this time, darlin'? Wreck another one-a my ships?"

"Yeah, sort off," admitted Tifa, scratching the back of her head. "I was going to fix it up and bring it back…but then the world kind of got swallowed up."

Cid grunted as he stood up. "Musta been the star that just went out. They mentioned it when they came in asking after Leon."

"Who's asking about Leon?" asked Tifa, leaning on the counter while Kairi shuffled over to a conveniently positioned couch and flopped down on it.

"Coupl'a emissaries from the King," said Cid, grabbing his toothpick and picking his teeth with it.

"The King? As in…" Tifa trailed away as Cid nodded. Weary as she was, Kairi didn't notice the way Tifa's fist tightened. "Are they after the Key, too?"

"Hmm. They did say something about a Key, now you mention it," said Cid. "Just what do you know about it?"

Tifa opened her mouth, but before she could speak Yuffie peeked out the window and gasped. "Tifa! Cid! We've got trouble!" she exclaimed before producing a large shuriken out of nowhere and running out the door. Tifa followed her, while Cid swore loudly and dived under the counter. Groaning, Kairi pushed herself up of the couch and called Destiny's Embrace back to her hand and ran out after them.

She saw about what she had been expecting. A horde of Shadows were running around, harassing the townspeople. She also noticed a handful of creatures that resembled Shadows but with loudly clanking helmets atop their heads and large claws. They were also more upright than the hunched over Shadows, and they had a strange symbol on their chests.

"Emblems _and_ Purebloods," growled Cid, who had just burst out of the shop and stopped next to Kairi. He was now armed with a blade-on-a-stick and had a bulging satchel slung over his shoulder. "So it isn't just the Darkness. The Enemy is here." He glanced down at Kairi and noticed her Keyblade. "They must be after you." Without another word he ran forward and took a huge, flying leap before coming down and impaling a Shadow with his lance.

' _Worry about Mr. Highwind's cryptic words later; focus on fighting off the monsters'_ Kairi told herself, taking her Keyblade in a two-handed grip and charging forward.

Tifa picked up two Shadows and slammed them together, punted them into the air, grabbed a Soldier by its helmet and flung it after them, smashing all three Heartless into a wall on the other side of the square. "Yuffie, go find Leon!" she called out. Yuffie nodded and jumped up onto a nearby rooftop.

Cid ran around stabbing at the Heartless, and once he got a good-sized group chasing after him he pulled a bright-red stick of dynamite out of his satchel, struck its fuse against the outside of the satchel, and tossed it into the crowd of monsters. His boisterous laughter almost drowned out the ensuing explosion, which sent Heartless flying sky-high.

Kairi jumped into the crazy mosh pit of darkness and started swinging. The Shadows were so numerous that she felled two or three with each swing, though she quickly found that the Soldiers were a little more resilient; she also found to her surprise that every Soldier she dispatched, and _only_ the Soldiers that _she_ destroyed, released a pink, sparkling, heart-shaped object into the air, each one quickly disappearing in a swirl of darkness. She wondered briefly about this, but kept her focus on the fight at hand.

Between the three of them, it wasn't long before the square was almost cleared of monsters. Then, quite unexpectedly…a _big one_ appeared. Out of a shadow on the ground, a huge rotund Heartless rose up, pounded its chest twice, and bellowed a challenge to the defenders of Traverse Town.

"Large Body!" called out Tifa, "Careful, Kairi; frontal attacks are useless. Attack from behind, or use magic if you know any," she advised.

' _Magic? Hey, Aqua, how do I do that fire thing?'_ thought Kairi, trying to direct the question 'inwards'. Immediately, a series of images and complicated formulae littered with math way beyond her understanding and geometric diagrams, some of them of a non-Euclidean persuasion, flashed through her mind.

 _Spontaneous generation of thermal energy using thaumic transmogrification to reverse local entropy,_ said Aqua.

' _What?'_

 _More commonly known as the Fire spell. The first level of the simplest form of offensive, or 'Black', magic. Drawing the energy directly from your own body or your surroundings would be simpler, but the displacement of energy would cause you and whatever's around you to freeze solid. Be careful, Kairi; magic takes power, which has to come from you. I can share my knowledge with you but not my power. The good news is that the source of your magical power is your mind, which can be made stronger by studying, meditating, and simply practicing mentally strenuous activity, like any other muscle. As your power grows, I'll teach you stronger and more demanding spells. Of course, Fire can take several forms depending on_ how _you direct the energy, but for now I advise keeping it simple and sticking to shooting fireballs at the Heartless. If need be, you can release the magic directly from your body, such as through your hands, but magic spells are much more effective when channeled through a magic focus, and you just so happen to have one of the most powerful types of magic foci in the known universe in your hands. Have fun._

Kairi had that feeling again, of someone smiling inside her head. She echoed the smile, aimed her Keyblade at the Large Body…which had already closed the distance between them and would have body slammed her into a paopu-scented grease smear if Tifa hadn't yanked her back at the last second. "Sweet merciful Light, what is wrong with you?!" Tifa asked Kairi incredulously as Cid descended from above and stabbed the Large Body before it could get up. It jumped up to its feet and twisted around violently, throwing Cid off and howling in pain. Then it was blown to smithereens by the handful of lit dynamite Cid had dropped at its feet.

"What happened, Kairi? You spaced out for, like, ten whole seconds! I know you're not a very experienced fighter, but that kind of delay can get you killed on the battlefield," said Tifa hysterically, checking Kairi over for injuries even though she knew full-well she was unharmed.

"Sorry, I was learning magic."

"Huh?!"

"I'll explain later!" said Kairi, brushing past Tifa and running back into the battle, only to find that the few remaining Heartless slunk away into the shadows. "Aw…I wanted to blow one up, too," Kairi pouted. Then she processed what she had just said and realized how very Sora-like it had sounded. _'Eek. I don't like him so much that I want to_ be _him. Careful, Kairi, this adventuring thing might be a slippery slope,'_ she reflected.

"Kairi, what were you saying about–" Tifa began as she approached the young Keybearer, while in the background Cid put a fresh toothpick in his mouth and limped back to the Accessory Shop, muttering about first aid and making a pot of tea. Her inquiry was cut off by a new arrival.

"Seems I missed out on the excitement," said a young man with shoulder-length brown hair and a large weapon in a holster on his back. "Awful rude of the Heartless to scram before I could jump in."

"Leon!" said Tifa, grinning. "About time you got here…where's Yuffie? There's nothing around for her to sneak attack."

The man, Leon, stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Yuffie? I haven't seen her since this morning."

Tifa grin became a frown, and her whole face fell. "So…she didn't get you?"

"No. Why do you–" Leon began, but it was his turn to be interrupted.

Cid burst out of his shop and hollered, "The Heartless are running amok in the Second District! Just got off the horn with Aerith, she's holding the fort o'er at the hotel!"

"I'm on it!" Leon called back with an authoritative tone that made Kairi shiver involuntarily. He broke into a run, following Tifa who bolted in the same direction, and Kairi ran after them both.

* * *

Deep in the bowels of the ruined remnant of a castle, more specifically in the Ominous Shadowy Meeting Room, a hole in reality ripped open and deposited two teenaged boys and the giant key over which they were struggling. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked the sinister voice of a tall, horn-headed woman who stood in the shadows. Not that there was really anywhere else _to_ stand in the room.

"Exactly what I promised, Milady," replied the voice of a young man, issuing from under a black hood. He gestured towards the obliviously scuffling boys with a gloved hand and said, "The Key to fulfilling your plans. And someone to use it for you; two for the price of one, in fact."

"But we only really need one of them, don't we?" asked the oily voice of another man, whose silhouette was topped by the bulb of a turban.

"Well, we could always have the bilge rats fight to the death and keep the survivor," suggested another shadowy figure.

"And maybe we can use the loser as a Heartless!" suggested the booming voice of a large, baggy silhouette before bursting into guffaws.

"Oh, no, no, no, that is far too crude, my dear Captain," said the woman, who stepped into what little light was given off by the dim green flame of a magical torch, revealing a pale greenish face and cold, calculating eyes. "Do please pull them off each other," she ordered with a wave of her hand.

Two Large Bodies emerged from the darkness and each grabbed a boy, separating them forcefully. Kingdom Key fell between them, momentarily abandoned. Only then did the two teens, all but frothing at the mouth, notice where they were. Or rather, that they had no clue where they were.

"Whoa! What's going on?" gasped the younger boy with the wild brown spikes. "I suppose this is your fault too, isn't it?" he asked pointedly, glaring at the other boy.

"My fault?! I didn't do _anything_!" said the older, silver-haired boy defensively. "You're the one who ruined everything, Sora!" he accused, yanking one of his arms free of the Large Body's grip to point a damning finger at his erstwhile friend.

"Like hell I did!" Sora yelled back. "You attacked Kairi! How could you do that to our friend, Riku?!"

" _I_ attacked– _what_?! Are you _blind_ , or just stupid? _She_ attacked _me_!" Riku said defensively.

"Because _you_ were being a _dick_!" Sora screamed in spitting anger. He lunged forward, breaking out of his Large Body's grip, tumble rolling and grabbing the Keyblade. He ran at Riku, whose eyes widened before shutting tightly as Sora swung…

…and sliced the _Large Body's_ arms off at the elbows. Then he grabbed Riku's arm and dragged him forward, running for the nearest exit. "C'mon, Riku, let's get the heck out of here!" Sora gasped. As dopey as he seemed, and as angry as he was at Riku, Sora still had common sense enough to know that they were in a bad place, and Riku was still his best friend; no way was he leaving his bro in such dire straits. Also, though he was certain he had never seen that horned chick before, she seemed very familiar to him and something told Sora she was _majorly_ bad news.

They didn't get far, sadly, before their egress was cut off by a wall of emerald flames. Without thinking about it, Sora spun around behind Riku, standing between him and the others with the Keyblade in a defensive grip. "Now boys, where are your manners? We haven't even been introduced yet! I am Maleficent, master of this castle and this world," said the horned sorceress, approaching them with a genial smile that was merely skin deep.

"Yeah? Cool. I'm Sora, this is Riku," said Sora, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Riku, "And we're _leaving_. Now."

"So soon?" asked Maleficent, sounding truly sorrowful, "But you've only just arrived."

"Well we're sorry, but we just want to go home now," said Sora, plainly having none of it.

"Speak for yourself, Sora," said Riku, shoving his way past his friend. "Is it true? Are we really on another world?"

"One other than the one you grew up on?" asked the hooded man who stepped up behind Maleficent, "Most assuredly."

"Riku," said Sora pleadingly, his feeling of unease growing stronger and stronger the longer he looked at Maleficent. She was _not_ to be trusted. She was a liar, a deceiver, who only wanted him to doubt his friends.

"You'll be happy to know that your other friend…Kairi, is it? She escaped your world as well," the hooded man informed them.

"That's good," said Riku, who sounded relieved.

"What do you mean, 'escaped'?" asked Sora, who had no intention of dropping his guard for an instant around these people.

"What do you mean, what does he mean?" asked Riku, "I told you our tiny world was like a prison."

"Indeed," said Maleficent with a smile that, though appearing genuine enough, made Sora want to scream. "Now come with me, dear boy, and we can speak of all the worlds you'd like to visit," she offered with open arms.

"Riku, no!" cried Sora, reaching forward to grab his friend and pull him back. The hooded man flickered behind him and chopped him in the back of the neck with the edge of his hand. Sora instantly crumpled and dropped the Keyblade.

Riku looked back and noticed this, and being that he wasn't 100% a dick, he yelled, "Hey! What do you think you're doing to my friend?!"

"Don't be distressed," said the hooded man smoothly. Darkness wreathed Sora's body and lifted him into the air. "He's clearly hysterical from the traumatic change of scenery. I'll take him to a room so he can rest and gather his wits. We've been waiting a long time for you and your friends, Riku. We mean you no harm." With that, the hooded man exited the room, as Maleficent had dropped the flames, telekinetically pulling Sora behind him.

"That's right, dear Riku, we are going to be grand friends," said Maleficent as she guided Riku away. "I do hope you come to enjoy the hospitality of my world…Hollow Bastion."

And again, the Keyblade laid abandoned.

* * *

"Fire!" shouted Kairi, hitting a Shadow in the face with a fireball launched from the end of her Keyblade, which caused the Heartless to explode into wisps of darkness. She, Tifa, and Leon had just emerged in the Second District to find it flooded with Heartless. Shadows, Soldiers, and even a few more Large Bodies were tearing up the shops that lined the district as well as the open square in the middle.

Three new kinds of Heartless, each one shaped kind of like a bell with a funny looking hat on their heads and coming in three different colors, were also flying around and fling magic all over the place. The red ones shot fireballs, the blue ones released shards of ice, and the yellow ones sheathed themselves in electricity before smashing into things.

Leon ran towards one building, which Kairi presumed was the hotel, while Tifa jumped the railing into the square and turned the frenzy of Heartless into another mosh pit.

 _Use Fire on the Blue Rhapsodies and the Yellow Operas, but_ not _the Red Nocturnes; they're immune to fire magic and even recover health from it. Aside from that, save your magic and dispatch the Shadows and Soldiers with your Keyblade. Leave the Large Bodies to Leon and Tifa, if you can help it,_ Aqua quickly advised. "Right," Kairi muttered in acknowledgement before following Leon; she didn't want to get caught alone and get mobbed by the Heartless.

A Large Body, backed up by several Shadows and a mixed assortment of the spellcasting Heartless, stepped into their path; the Large Body immediately sprang forward and swung a huge fist at Leon. "How good are you with that thing?" Leon asked as he calmly took a step back to avoid the blow.

"Uh…capable?" Kairi hedged.

"Fair enough. Try to keep the casters off of me," Leon said, quickly side-stepping the Large Body's next swing and drawing his weapon–a huge sword with a strange handle that looked like a shotgun stock with a six-shot revolver carousel and a trigger; Kairi noticed that it had a token hanging from a short chain on the butt of the handle, resembling a lion's head–which he used to block a Blue Rhapsody's Blizzard. Then he quickly slashed the Shadows away while still evading the Large Body with what appeared to be minimal effort.

Trying not to be overawed by what a BAMF he was, Kairi backed up and aimed her Keyblade, popping off fireballs at the blue and yellow Heartless. As she did, she felt a gradual sensation of something inside her draining away; a kind of vague, fuzzy-feeling sense of energy. After she had cast Fire about a half-dozen times, the feeling was drained away and she was left feeling hollow. It wasn't necessarily an _unpleasant_ feeling, but it was definitely weird.

 _That would be your reserve of magical power…MP, for short. When it dries up it will replenish on its own over time. Your MP will grow and you'll recharge more quickly as you become a more powerful mage._

Kairi's eyes widened and she jumped out of the way before a Yellow Opera, coated in lightning, could slam into her. Tifa ran up and punted it before it could elevate, slamming into a Red Nocturne and making both of them explode into a shower of sparks, ashes, and darkness. "Stay on the sidelines if you're gonna keep spacing out!" Tifa ordered, her tone more worried than angry.

Wincing, Kairi shouted, "Sorry! Won't happen again, promise!" With no further words, she jumped back into the fight. Literally, she leaped up and smacked a Red Nocturne into the ground with an overhead swing. Between her and Leon, the path to the hotel was quickly cleared.

"Tifa, fall back!" Leon shouted, turning around at the hotel doors and taking a defensive stance. A moment later, they saw Tifa running backwards up a flight of stairs, beating down the Heartless that pursued her by wielding a pair of Shadows by their legs and swinging them like clubs.

Kairi and Leon both launched fireballs–Leon's being bigger and explode-ier–into the Heartless, blasting them back, while Tifa chucked her makeshift weapons before turning and hotlegging it for hotel. The door opened behind them and the trio stumbled through before it slammed shut again.

"Thank goodness you made it–Tifa! I didn't know _you_ were here," exclaimed a woman who appeared to be tending to injured townsfolk.

"It's good to see you too, Aerith," replied Tifa with a smile. The two women shared a quick hug while Leon scanned the crowd of frazzled townsfolk crowded into the lobby.

"Where's Yuffie?" he asked.

"She hasn't been here," replied Aerith, who had returned to tending people's injuries. Tifa took a post at a nearby window, doing a few limbering stretches while peering out into the night for signs of another attack.

"It should be dawn, soon. Then the Heartless should quiet right down," the brawler remarked.

"Not likely," Leon contradicted somberly, looking over at Kairi. "Not with her here…the light of day won't be enough to keep them at bay this time."

"Huh?" asked Kairi. "What do I have to do with it?"

"You have the Keyblade. The Heartless are drawn to it, because it's the only instrument that can release the hearts they've gathered. They fear the Keyblade, so they seek to destroy those who can wield it, and thus they are drawn to it."

"Wait…the Keyblade is dangerous to them, so they're _drawn_ to it?" Kairi asked.

"They're creatures of Darkness, and the Darkness is mysterious and difficult to understand," said Leon, "But there's also another reason they come after the Keyblade's Chosen. The Heartless desire one thing above all others; to consume hearts. The bigger and stronger, the better. The biggest hearts are the hearts of whole worlds, which is why they seek the heart of a world to consume, and in so doing–"

"The Darkness consumes the whole world!" Kairi gasped.

"Exactly. And the Keyblade only accepts wielders with very strong hearts, so the Heartless greatly desire to consume their hearts as well. So long as you wield the Keyblade, the Heartless will hound you relentlessly," Leon concluded.

"How did you learn so much about the Keyblade, Leon?" asked Tifa, looking away from the window for a moment. "And why did you ask me to keep my eye out for a 'strange Key' the last time I was here?"

"Someone told me about the Keyblade," Leon answered, "And that same person visited not too long ago. He asked me a few things, and then he told me that very soon a new Keybearer would appear. He asked me to be on the lookout for them, and to give them any help I could when they inevitably passed through here."

Tifa frowned, and her expression want from confused to irritated when it clicked in her head. "You mean the _King_ , don't you? That's why his 'emissaries' are here, isn't it?"

"I'm sure you can guess why I didn't care to share that detail with you before," said Leon dryly.

Tifa took an aggressive step towards Leon with her fists balled tightly at her sides, opening her mouth to retort, when suddenly a burst of static noise filled the room, followed by a tinny voice just-barely recognizable as Yuffie's issued from a radio set up on the lobby's reception desk. " _This is Yuffie, radioing from the power station in Third District! A huuuuuge Heartless just popped up–I've never seen one like it before!–and started tearing at the door to First District! Me and a couple of outsiders are trying to distract it, but–_ "

Just then the radio cut off, and a split-second later the lights died. The lack of illumination from outside indicated that the black-out was not limited to the hotel. A bunch of people screamed in panic, but abruptly fell silent at Leon's growl of "Quiet! Everyone stay _calm_." A moment later, Aerith lit a gas lamp and held it up to spread as much light throughout the room as she could. Her expression was grim, echoing the general mood everyone was feeling.

"I'll go and help her," Tifa spoke up first, "You should stay here and keep everyone safe."

"No, you should," Leon countered, already walking to the door with his Gunblade on his shoulder. "The outsiders she mentioned are probably the emissaries, and I don't want you making trouble for them."

Tifa scowled and got into Leon's face, but before she could say anything she caught a glimpse of Kairi running, and whipped around just in time to see the girl dashing back out the door. With a shout of "Kairi, wait!" Tifa was after her.

"It's her fate to fight them, you know," said Leon, close on her heels.

"She's just a kid!" Tifa rebuffed.

"Didn't stop any of us from doing crazy, stupid, heroic things back in the day," Leon observed dryly.

Tifa didn't have a response for that. She just ran harder.

Kairi knew nothing of Traverse Town's layout, but she figured she wouldn't have any trouble following the sounds of battle. Monstrous clanging and metallic screeching echoed through the night air, and somewhere in the distance there was an occasional flash of light. She angled herself in that direction as best as she could, ignoring the odd Shadow or two that popped up in her wake. _'They're here because of me,'_ she thought, _'Drawn by the Keyblade…did I bring them to the Islands, too? And to the place I was before that?'_

 _You didn't have the Keyblade back then,_ Aqua assured her, _so don't blame yourself for that. You have to focus; don't let doubt weigh you down._

"Right," Kairi said to herself, "Focus on saving Yuffie and whoever else is in danger."

"You're going the wrong way!" she heard Leon shout. She stopped short and turned around. He was standing by the entrance to an alleyway and waving her over. As she approached him he said, "Tifa's gone ahead of us. You should know, whatever this Heartless is, if it's giving Yuffie and a couple of The King's Men a hard time, it's going to be a hard fight for all of us. Are you up for it, Keybearer?"

Kairi gave him her hardest look. "Hiding from the Darkness didn't help, way back when. And fighting it half-heartedly wasn't enough to save the Islands, either. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure no more worlds disappear."

Leon gave her an appraising look, and then turned around to face the alleyway. "You've got the resolve down…but do you really have enough faith in yourself? Let's find out." And with that he was off like a bullet, and Kairi launched herself after him without giving his words much thought.

Within moments, she reached a precipice overlooking a wide-open area, illuminated from all sides by bright neon lights. _'Why isn't the blackout affecting_ this _area?'_ Kairi wondered, but only for a split-second. Her attention was almost immediately overtaken by the battle taking place.

Tifa, Leon, Yuffie, and two cloaked strangers were attacking a single, huge, metallic Heartless from all angles. The Heartless was made up of six pieces, unattached but somehow still able to move together; the Guard Armor lashed out at all its assailants at the same time, which at least meant that it couldn't press its assault on the door to the First District, which already had a few deep gouges in it.

Kairi sprinted down the stairs to join the fray, but was intercepted by a pack of Air Soldier Heartless. Unlike the Heartless she had fought before, these ones were too nimble and maneuverable, zipping in and out of her reach too quickly for her to get in more than a few lucky hits.

Meanwhile, Tifa tried to Beat Rush the Guard Armor from behind, but got sent flying by a backhand swat, which knocked her straight into Yuffie, and then both of them collided with a wall. The Guard Armor advanced on the two dazed women, while Leon ran in to cover them. One of the cloaked strangers, the tall one wielding a large mallet, pointed over towards Kairi, and the shorter one zipped over to her on a skateboard.

In a display of agility that Kairi had difficulty believing, even as she witnessed it with her own eyes, the skater launched into the air and ricocheted off of the Air Soldiers, bouncing between them like a pinball, leaving them all dazed. Upon landing, the skater whipped out a slingshot and quickly launched a volley of glowing white bullets at the stunned Heartless. Upon impact, the bullets exploded in bursts of light, and when the light faded the Heartless were no more.

"Y'okay?" asked the skater, pulling his hood back to reveal that–

"You're a dog!" Kairi gasped, flinching backwards.

"Yeah," agreed the dog-boy. "And you're a human. What's your point?" Kairi could only blink in response. "Anyways, I'm Max. You must be the Key that the King was talking about…or you've got it, anyhow. C'mon, we got a Heartless to squash!"

Max skated back towards the Guard Armor, and Kairi followed.

* * *

 **Krystil** : Next chapter, Kairi vs. the Guard Armor! Riku demonstrates incredibly poor judgment of character! Sora fails hard at trying to pull off a Houdini! More plot development and other stuff! And some more exclamation points, too! Until next time, let your heart be your guiding key, and…hit it, Your Majesty!

 **Mickey** : See ya _–_

 **Krystil** : WAIT! Crap, I almost forgot! I plan to add at least one extra world to the 'Kingdom Hearts 1' part of this story. And if it works out alright, I might do so for each and every 'Part' of the story; and yes, I do plan to write a Part for each game, except for UX and _maybe_ coded. So cast your vote for Disney or Square Enix worlds you would like to see in each Part. Thank you all, have a grand day, and…

 **Mickey** : See ya _real_ soon!

(P.S. if the move that Max used to stun those Air Soldiers were an Ability in a KH game, it would be called Air Bumper. Get it? Like pinball bumpers =3)


	6. 05 - The Path Decided

"Leon! Get Yuffie out of here!" Tifa said as she ran back towards the Guard Armor. The spunky young ninja was still knocked out, being much better at avoiding heavy hits than recovering from them.

"I'll be right back," Leon assured as he picked Yuffie up by the back of her shorts with one hand, keeping his Gunblade at the ready with the other hand. As he carried his friend to safety, he ran past Kairi, who was charging the Guard Armor.

Max was already circling around the huge Heartless, blasting it with glowing white bullets from his slingshot the whole while. The other stranger, who was only slightly taller than Max and still a bit shorter than Kairi, she estimated, was whacking at the Guard Armor's feet with a silvery-glowing mallet. Tifa jumped at the Guard Armor's head, but it smacked her aside with a quick spin of its claws. Fortunately, Tifa recovered in mid-air and landed with a roll into a crouch, and sprang at the enemy again.

Kairi skidded to a stop before she got too close to the Guard Armor's claws. The mallet-wielder jumped back, and Max stopped firing when one of his bullets was deflected by a claw and struck the ground mere inches away from Kairi. _'Any advice for this one?'_ Kairi inquired.

 _Target the limbs first; then the center will be easier to get to. Start with the claws, as they appear to be the primary means of defense and offense. Destroying the feet probably won't destabilize it anyways…_

' _Thanks,'_ thought Kairi, who took a ready stance with Destiny's Embrace held tightly in both hands in front of her.

 _Not so stiff with the elbows. Remember: willows bend; oaks break._

' _Huh?'_

 _When you block, you can better absorb a blow if you give a little. A stiff wind will make a willow tree bend, but it can push an oak tree over. Willows bend; oaks break._

' _Oh. That makes sense.'_

The Guard Armor stopped spinning its claws around and turned its head towards Kairi. With a lurching gait the Guard Armor started lumbering towards the young Keybearer, who jumped over its first swipe. When it swung the other claw at her in midair, she swung her Keyblade overhead, hitting the claw and levering herself higher.

"Max, freeze its feet!" shouted the mallet-wielder, who had a woman's voice. Max resumed firing on the Guard Armor's feet, this time launching blue-glowing bullets that released blasts of frost upon impact. "Ms. Lockhart–"

"I don't take orders from you!" snapped Tifa, who jumped up and struck a claw into the ground with an overhead hammer-fist blow.

Kairi landed on the head of the Heartless, then backflipped back off towards the other claw, which was flying in to strike Tifa out of the air. The long-haired brawler noticed the claw incoming and repositioned herself to block it, but Kairi zipped past her and slashed through the claw. It didn't shatter, but it flew away spinning out of control.

Meanwhile, Kairi tumbled towards the ground and landed awkwardly, but managed to regain her balance…just in time for one of the Guard Armor's feet to punt her from behind. Kairi went flying, skipping along the ground like a ragdoll until she slammed into a wall.

The mallet-wielder was just about to swing at the mostly frozen foot, but then she stopped and appeared to look at Kairi. "Max, assist Ms. Lockhart; don't let up on this thing!" she shouted before lowering the mallet and dashing towards her.

"Right!" Max shouted back, switching back from the blue bullets to the white one. On the third hit, the frosted foot cracked and exploded into wisps of darkness.

The errant claw finally came flying towards its body, but Tifa jumped up and hit it with a quick five-punch combo. The claw shattered and its fragments melted into darkness as they showered to the ground.

The woman with the huge hammer reached Kairi, who was standing up on shaky legs, covered all over in painful abrasions. Every movement hurt like hell, but Kairi knew the Heartless would keep coming for _her_ , and that she'd be in deep trouble if she didn't keep moving. She didn't need Aqua screaming in her head to know that.

" _Cure_!" called the hammer-woman, holding her hand out towards Kairi (who noted that she was wearing hot-pink fingerless gloves). A soft, green light sprang up around the teen, and she felt a rush of energy flow through her body. The pain melted away and her injuries healed over in an instant, and she felt new strength return to her limbs.

"Thank you, Ma'am!" Kairi gasped in relief. She bent her knees a bit and cocked her head to peek under the hood, and was shocked to see that she was a duck!

"DAISY! I'm out of Blizzard and Holy Shots!" Max cried out in alarm, skating around to evade the furious Armor's two remaining limbs while pelting it with red-glowing bullets that exploded in flame.

 _Fire and physical blows will have limited effect on a heavily armored opponent,_ Aqua cautioned. _Magic is your best bet._

' _Then what are you waiting for? Teach me more!'_

 _Well…you asked for it…_

Another barrage of knowledge streamed through Kairi's mind. Her knees buckled and she held her head in her hands in pain. Then it was over, as suddenly as it had begun.

 _Those are all the spells I know that you can handle right now. Blizzard, Thunder, and Aero. They all consume more of your MP than Fire, so be conservative. Blizzard and Thunder will be more effective than Fire. Against an armored opponent, Aero would be better used as a defense than an offense._

Kairi saw a vision of creating a shell of wind around herself, and she nodded as she got back up to her feet. Daisy had pulled back her hood and was giving her a concerned look, but Kairi met her eyes with a steely gaze and said, "Let's finish this, okay?"

"By your lead, Keybearer," replied Daisy, shouldering her weapon.

Kairi ran towards the Guard Armor once more, shouting " _Aero_!" as she ran. Wind twisted around her like a mini tornado, and when she jumped up the wind lifted her higher. " _Blizzard_!" she cast next, firing a shard of ice down at the remaining foot. At the same time, Daisy ran forward and slammed her hammer down on the foot, cracking it in half and making it dissolve.

Kairi came down with her Keyblade upon the second claw, while Tifa got under it and struck with a rising uppercut. The claw buckled, twisted, and shattered.

But the Guard Armor wasn't through yet; it started spinning around rapidly, slamming its torso into everyone but Max, who managed to flip over it, still hitting it with a relentless stream of Fire Shots.

" _Thunder_!" called out Kairi, thrusting her Keyblade straight up and using the last of her MP to bring down a bolt of lightning that lanced through the Guard Armor's head. It wavered and seemed to be stunned, and without hesitation Tifa and Daisy sprang forward.

They both pummeled the torso with a hail of blows that dented and crumpled the metal exterior. "My turn!" shouted Kairi, running up; Tifa and Daisy sprang aside to let her through, and with a battle-cry she thrust Destiny's Embrace into the torso.

For the finishing touch, Max launched up and front-flipped through the air, grabbing his skateboard out from under his feet and slamming it down on the head, which slammed into the torso.

Kairi grinned and yanked the Keyblade out, then jumped up and delivered the coup-de-grace. An overhead swing, Keyblade glowing, right down the middle. Cleaving through head and torso in one.

The Guard Armor melted away and released a huge Heart that drifted up into the air, breaking down into _hundreds_ of normal-sized Hearts that disappeared in flashes of light. What no one noticed, amid all the twinkling hearts, was a single ball of bluish-white light that floated away as well before blinking out of sight.

 _Very well done, Kairi,_ said Aqua. _But why were there so many? A Heartless only ever holds the heart of the person it used to be before they fell to the Darkness…they don't collect them like this…_

Before Kairi could ponder Aqua's troubled thoughts, Tifa slung an arm around her shoulder and ruffled her hair. "We did it, Kairi! You were amazing!"

"The King said that a hero would appear to wield the Keyblade," said Daisy, her hammer gone and her hood pulled back up, though it was hard for Kairi not to notice her bill in the shadows now that she knew it was there. "As usual, it would appear that he was right."

Tifa frowned and stood up, taking her arm off of Kairi and putting it in front of her, as if to block her from the duck-lady. "What do _you_ people want? What are you doing in Traverse Town, anyways?"

"What's _her_ problem?" asked Max, who had also put his hood back up..

"The reason we have to hide our appearance," Daisy said to Max, "Is that there are some in Traverse Town, such as Ms. Lockhart, who believe that the King of Disney is connected to the wave of Darkness that has been taking worlds."

"What?! That's crazy!" protested Max.

"Is it?" Tifa challenged, "The first world to disappear was Radiant Garden, nine years ago, and that happened right after Outworlders like your King started showing up. You expect me to buy that as a coincidence?"

"It isn't _entirely_ coincidental–"

"Ah-ha!"

"BUT! His Majesty was not responsible for your world falling into Darkness," Daisy adamantly insisted, her eyes narrowed. Kairi had never suspected that a duck could look so dangerous.

"Are you two going to keep bickering uselessly?" asked Leon as he ambled back onto the scene, visibly disappointed that he had not returned in time to tear a certain Heartless a new certain something for hurting a certain friend of his.

Close behind and soon overtaking him, Cid came running into the square as well, not even looking at Tifa or anyone else as he barreled on towards the Power Station, which had a gaping hole in the side. "Tifa, if you bothered to get to know the King like I have–"

"You dirty traitor!" Tifa hissed, narrowing her eyes and effectively glaring daggers at him. Leon just rolled his eyes.

"The people of Disney aren't our enemies. They never were. King Mickey has even helped us out by visiting every so often to keep the Heartless in check. He's a good guy, really." Leon glanced aside and muttered to himself, "Even if that student of his can be a real pain…"

Daisy stepped forward and, to her shock, kneeled before Kairi. "His Majesty charged me with finding the new Keybearer and lending him or her any assistance I could," she said, "And now that I have, I am at your disposal, Lady Kairi."

"L-Lady?!" Kairi balked, reeling back a step from sheer surprise. Even Tifa couldn't help but snicker at her reaction, though she tried to hide it behind her hand. "Listen, Daisy, I…I'm no one special, or anything. I'm just a girl from an island!"

"Your dad's the mayor, right? That's kind of a big deal, isn't it?" asked Tifa with a teasing grin.

"The Keyblade's Chosen are…generally…paragons of virtue, forsworn champions of the Light," Daisy explained as she stood up. "I'd be remiss not to show due respect."

"Generally?" Tifa questioned, suspicious again.

"There are exceptions to every rule," Daisy explained coolly. "Anyways, I'm Daisy Duck; First of the Queen's Handmaidens and Chief Cleric of Disney Kingdom. My young companion here is Max Goof, son of the Captain of the King's Guard. It's our honor to meet you–"

"Kairi," said Kairi firmly, "Just Kairi, please."

Daisy smiled and giggled. "Of course. Now then–"

"HELP!" cried out a gruff voice that Kairi didn't recognize right away, until she turned to see Cid running back from the Power Station with an unconscious woman in his arms. "Help!" he shouted again, "Shera's hurt, bad!"

The woman in his arms was very pale, her breathing ragged, and her side sported a big dark stain. Kairi was sickened to realize the stain was blood soaking into her clothes.

"Oh my God, Shera!" Tifa gasped. Daisy ran forward, brushing past her and Kairi. In her haste, her cloak came loose and flew off, revealing that she was wearing a purple vest with a zipper running up each side, a big pink bow on her head, a pair of purple heeled shoes, and a softly-glowing bluish-green bangle on her left wrist. As she drew close to Cid, a short wand topped with a gold heart appeared in a flash of light in her hand.

Cid and Daisy met and both came to a halt, and Cid knelt down. Daisy waved her Heart Wand over Shera, and intoned, " _Curaga!_ "

Green light, much brighter and richer than the one that had healed Kairi, washed over Shera. The color rushed back into her, and her eyelids fluttered open. Her ragged breathing steadied, and she looked around in bemusement. "Cid? What's going on?"

Cid, tears still in his eyes, grinned at her. "Nuthin' major, darlin'. Ya jus' got scuffed up a bit, is all." He looked up at Daisy, "Thank ya, ma'am."

"My pleasure," Daisy replied, turning back to Kairi. "Now then, if there's nothing else…I do believe we have a world-consuming wave of Darkness to deal with, right?"

"Yeah!" agreed Max, "We've been hanging out here long enough. We need to get moving if we're ever gonna catch up to Dad and the King."

Tifa opened her mouth, but Kairi pre-empted her. "I'm going with them, Ms. Lockhart." Tifa's jaw hung open slightly. Kairi dismissed Destiny's Embrace and placed a hand over her heart. "You may have your misgivings about them…but my heart tells me I can trust them. And someone told me, when I was a little girl, to always let my heart guide me."

Tifa closed her mouth, and her expression was hard to read, but eventually she just sighed and said, "Then I guess I need to come along too, just to make sure you're okay. That's what _my_ heart is telling me to do. So I should follow it, right?"

"Right," Kairi agreed with a smile. She turned to face Daisy again, "So…do you have any idea where my friends, Sora and Riku, might have wound up? They didn't come here with me, but I know they got off of Destiny Islands before the Darkness took it."

"How?" Daisy asked.

"Through a…I'm not sure, but it was like a hole, full of Darkness."

"A Corridor of Darkness," said Daisy, looking concerned, "The Heartless use them to travel between worlds, but others who learn to use the power of Darkness can learn to open them as well. Is there any chance one of your friends would know how to do such a thing?" Kairi shook her head. "Then, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Kairi, but it's very likely that someone with power over Darkness has taken them. Why, I cannot imagine…possibly it was the same person who connected your world to the Darkness in the first place."

Kairi's face fell and she looked down. _'How am I going to find you guys if I have no idea where to look? You could be anywhere in the worlds now…'_

 _Don't despair, Kairi. Just let your heart be your guiding key…your heart is connected to the people you care about, and the people who care about you. When we follow our hearts, they're sure to lead us back to one another._

' _Right. Thanks, Aqua. I can't help my friends if I get all mopey!'_ Kairi lifted her head and took a deep breath. "Alright. If we're gonna get going, we may as well go. You guys have a Gummi ship, like Tifa had?"

* * *

 _Hollow Bastion:_

After finishing her meeting with the other Villains and sending them back to their respective worlds to continue their roles in her plan, Maleficent made her way down to the Chamber where the Princesses were being held.

Right now, that just meant Aurora of Enchanted Dominion and Cinderella from Castle of Dreams. She wasn't very surprised to find the hooded man from earlier down there, appearing to observe Cinderella in her crystalline casing.

"Ten years. Two Princesses of Heart. Not much to show for so much effort, is it?" he remarked, somehow aware of her arrival even though there was no way he had seen her, nor had she made a sound coming in.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes at him. "There are seven of them, and hundreds of thousands of worlds to search. Do not belittle my progress when the task is so immense."

"No, you are right. But what I find deplorable is that your apparent complacency despite how little you've accomplished. We _gave_ you the location of a Princess, as a gift of goodwill, and did you bother to travel there yourself? No, you trusted mindless creatures of Darkness to take her. Now she has escaped her world and is loose in the Multiverse."

Maleficent started to seethe at the man's cutting remarks. "I _did_ send my agent, the Black Knight, to recover her, but she was not where she was supposed to be. By the time he found her, she had already left the world under her own power, somehow. And there was an Outsider present as well–"

"Are excuses all you have, Maleficent?" asked the man lightly, "I begin to question Xehanort's wisdom in letting you be involved."

Maleficent was on the verge of snapping and incinerating this arrogant toad where he stood…but she restrained herself. A good chessmaster lets their opponent _think_ they have the upper hand. So instead she smiled, "Fret not, my mysterious young friend. You have provided the Key that I need, and in due time I shall provide the Door. Then we will all of us collect our dues, and you will see that Xehanort's trust in me was _impeccably_ well-placed."

"For your sake, I should hope so," replied the man, who turned away from Cinderella's casket, seemingly turning his back on Maleficent altogether…

And as he turned, he simply vanished from sight. As if he had turned a corner around an invisible wall. And for all that Maleficent knew, he might have; what unnerved her more than anything else about him, far more than his enigmatic behavior, his apparent lack of a name, or his refusal to explain his connection to Xehanort or how their plans related to hers, was that she could never sense his presence, even when she was looking at him. It was almost as if he really _wasn't_ there, as if he was just a figment of her imagination…

A notion Maleficent was quick to dismiss on principle. She was no schizophrenic, divorced from reality, and in any event no figment of her imagination would _ever_ dare to sass her so brazenly.

She left the chamber and ventured back to the room where she had left Riku to wait for her while she finished her council with the Villains. A pair of Gargoyles flanked the door, posing as harmless statuary as only they could, serving to make sure Riku stayed put without him having any idea he was under guard and thus no reason to question the benevolence of his hostess. "Riku," she called as she tapped on the door, "May I come in, dear boy?" Letting him think that he actually had any governance over the room she had permitted him would further lull him into a sense of false security.

"Yeah," he replied.

She entered, and saw that Riku was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his hand out with a look of intense concentration. "Such a serious look for such a young face," Maleficent remarked, "What, may I ask, are you trying to do?"

"Trying to summon the Key thing from earlier," Riku replied, "But it won't come!" He dropped his hand, actually looking a bit winded from the strain of his focusing. Turning to look at Maleficent, he asked, "How's Sora?" It was obvious to anyone with any skill at reading people that he was worried about his friend, though it was also obvious that he was trying (and failing) very hard to act as though he didn't care.

Boys.

"He is just fine, of course. If you would like, you can visit him tomorrow, but tonight you should both rest after the ordeal you've been through. I'm about to retire for the evening, but if there's anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Riku replied, though even he couldn't cover up the worried look on his face.

"I am certain your other friend…Kairi, was it? I'm certain she is also well. And, in fact, tomorrow I will help you to locate her," Maleficent promised.

"Really?" asked a surprised Riku, unable to mask his excitement at the idea. Even if she _had_ completely overreacted and tried to attack him, Riku felt bad about how they had parted. He wanted nothing more than to reconcile with her, and with Sora, so he could help them realize how much better off they were now that the worlds were theirs to explore!

"But of course! However, I am a very busy woman with many important responsibilities, Riku. If I am to help you, then you and Sora will have to help me with my duties as well. But all that can wait until tomorrow. For now, try to rest. Travel between worlds is always taxing on one's body the first few times, after all."

"It is? It didn't wear me out at all."

"Truly?" Maleficent asked, convincingly affecting a tone and expression of surprise, "What a marvelous will you must possess, dear boy. Why, Sora seemed quite run down when I checked in on him just now." This was a blatant lie, of course; traveling between worlds was no stress at all if you weren't the one opening the portal. But young men were so much easier to twist when their egos were well-fed. "Well, in any case, you rest tonight, and we shall speak again in the morning. Good night, and pleasant dreams, Riku," said Maleficent as she backed out of his room.

"G'night, Maleficent," Riku called as she closed his door.

' _What an_ imbecile _,'_ thought the Evil Fairy as she made her way to her own chambers. _'Almost as dim as that Terra fellow, really…'_

* * *

In an all-white room, the young man in the Black Coat appeared. There, waiting for him, was another, taller man wearing the same coat. The younger one knelt down. "I have come to answer your summons, my Superior."

"So you have, Number VI. You may rise, and make your report," replied the baritone voice of the Superior.

The other man arose, pulling his hood back to reveal a youth of perhaps seventeen to twenty years of age. He had steely-gray hair that was short in the back and long in the front, the bangs long enough to cover his blue eyes but swept aside to leave the left one visible. "Of the seven, Maleficent has only captured the two that we were already aware of. I searched her domain quite thoroughly; she has no other Princesses of Heart hidden elsewhere, nor did I turn up any other evidence to suggest that she has ever been aware of our surveillance of her actions. What's more, she failed to retrieve the Princess of Destiny Islands."

"According to Number II, she has appeared in Traverse Town," said the Superior. "He dispatched a Special Heartless, the Guard Armor, to retrieve her." From within his coat, he produced the orb of light that the Guard Armor had released, and lightly tossed it up into the air. The Vision Sphere stopped and hovered in mid-air, expanding into a transparent bubble that appeared to play back everything the Guard Armor had seen.

Number VI frowned. "The Princess…is also a Keybearer? This complicates things…and I understand why you would task Xigbar with taking her instead of entrusting her to Maleficent. One Keyblade in her possession is more than enough."

"I have other plans for her, as well," the Superior added, "A Princess of Heart, effectively one with no Darkness whatsoever, wielding the Keyblade…such a scenario has never occurred before in recorded history, and as scientists we would be remiss if we did not take advantage of the unique opportunity this situation presents us. Don't you agree, Zexion?"

"I agree, Superior," replied the young man. "Is that to be my new assignment?"

"No. I want you to continue to monitor Maleficent, and the boy, Riku, as well. Tell me, what did you make of him?"

"He bears a scent remarkably similar to your own, Superior. Rich with Darkness he has yet to tame."

"Good. Very good. Then the Other has connected with the boy, as he connected the Islands to the Darkness. After all these years, the plan is coming together. Keep me appraised of the boy's progress," commanded the Superior as he turned to leave the room, opening a Corridor of Darkness. Indeed, the room appeared to lack any other doors or openings of its own.

"One other thing you should know, Superior," said Zexion, even as he opened his own Corridor. "Another boy appeared in Hollow Bastion, along with Riku. His name is Sora, and he was able to wield the Keyblade as well. _Quite_ well, in fact. He was able to cleave through two Large Bodies without much apparent effort, and his amateurish swordsmanship suggested a lack of formal training. His scent is a powerful one, containing immense Light _and_ Darkness. He may prove to be something of an X-factor, don't you think?"

The Superior pondered this unexpected development at length. _'Kairi likely Inherited the Keyblade when she crossed paths with Aqua, and Riku was willfully Bequeathed by Terra…Sora and Riku both hail from the same world, which is where Kairi appeared after Radiant Garden fell…and that world was visited by all three of the Wayfarers during their journeys ten years ago…Ventus has not been seen since then and Sora can wield the Keyblade. All of this cannot be mere happenstance.'_

He shook his head and told Zexion, "Never mind the other boy. He is of no great consequence to my plans…but all the same, do what you can to keep him from interfering with Riku. The inexplicable power of 'friendship' nearly ruined everything beyond salvation the last time. We must not allow history to repeat itself. Those are your orders, Number VI."

"Understood, my Superior," Zexion affirmed as he drew his hood back up.

With that, both men departed from the Blank Space.

* * *

Sora regained consciousness and found himself laying on his back, on a cot, in a dank cell, in what was almost definitely a genuine castle dungeon. A squad of Soldier Heartless were marching and clanking up and down the hallway outside of his cell. Sora just sat up and stared out, wondering what he could hope to do from here.

A voice tried to call to him, but it was too weak, too far away to reach him.

So Sora sat alone in the dark, and wondered.

' _I hope Kairi is alright…'_

* * *

Tifa double-checked and triple-checked the restraints on Kairi's seat.

"Tifa, they're good, I'm sure of it," said Kairi, blushing a bit as Tifa fussed with the straps.

"They're not like the ones I'm used to," Tifa muttered, sounding less than sure.

Max, however, was getting impatient. "Come _on_ , already! We need to get going!" he implored.

"Chip and Dale, the Royal Gummi Engineers of Disney, are very competent shipwrights, I assure you," said Daisy, "But seeing as you likely have more experience piloting than I do, I don't mind if you want to take the wheel."

Tifa perked up a bit at that, and finally left Kairi be. "Don't mind if I do, Ms. Duck," she said as she stepped over and dropped into the "hot seat". After a moment of fiddling with switches and dials and examining gauges and meters, she begrudgingly admitted that the controls were actually more user-friendly than Cid's designs usually were. But not out-loud. "Alright everyone, we're off in three…two…lift off!"

The pink-and-purple colored Gummi ship, _Holy Quack_ , lifted up out of a wide square in Zero District that served as a parking lot for visiting Outworlders. It rose through the air, higher and higher, until Kairi started hearing loud snapping, crackling, and popping from outside.

"Approaching Aetheral Boundary," Tifa announced, "Plotting Dimensional Transverse Vector…opening Aether-Charge Conduits…"

The sounds outside got more intense, and the ship started rocking. The only thing that stopped her from worrying was seeing how at ease the others were. Clearly, this was all standard occurrence.

"Capacitors fully charged. Engaging Gummi Drive. All systems green for dimensional breaching. Transitioning to Interspace in five…four…three…two…ONE!"

Tifa pounded a button, Kairi felt an intense sensation that was a lot like falling from somewhere high up, but in the wrong direction, and suddenly the starry night sky over the dome of the cockpit was replaced by a mottling of magenta, indigo, and black clouds of…something.

"Welcome to Interspace, Keybearer," said Daisy. "Ms. Lockhart, all speed to Wonderland, if you would please."

And the _Holy Quack_ zipped away towards the next adventure.

* * *

 **New Journal Entries Unlocked!**

 **Worlds-**

 **Destiny Islands:** _A tropical paradise where many stories have begun, ended, converged and diverged. Truly a place touched with destiny, and the only world known to grow the paopu fruit that is rumored to have the power to tie people's destinies together. Home of Kairi, Sora, and Riku, though Kairi had another home before…_

 **Traverse Town:** _Unlike most worlds, which reside in the Realm of Light and have existed since the end of the Age of Fairy Tales, Traverse Town exists in the Realm of In-Between and only came into being when worlds started disappearing to darkness. Composed of scattered pieces of those worlds and populated by refugees who were fortunate enough to escape from them, it is one of the few worlds where the existence of other worlds is an open secret. Thus, it's a popular hub for those who regularly travel between worlds; hence its name, and its reputation as "The Crossroads of the Multiverse"._

 **Hollow Bastion:** _The empty remnant of a once-shining world, now the stronghold of the Evil Fairy Maleficent. Its history is one of tragedy, but there is always Light in Darkness._

 **Characters-**

 **Kairi:** _A young girl of fourteen who mysteriously appeared in Destiny Islands nine years ago and was taken in by the mayor and his wife. The mythical Keyblade has appeared to her, and now she must wield it to fight for the happiness of her friends and family._

 **Aqua:** _A Keyblade Master from the past whose heart is connected to Kairi's through the Keyblade. While her own situation is a bleak one, she is ever selfless and willing to offer her wisdom to aid Kairi on her journey._

 **Riku:** _One of Kairi's best friends, a highly competitive but generally cool-headed teen whose greatest desires are to be strong enough to protect his friends, and to lead them on grand adventures in other worlds. But the road to Hell is paved with good intentions…_

 **Sora:** _Kairi's other best friend…and maybe more? A carefree, kind of lazy, total goofball teenager who lacks Riku's ambition and intensity, but can match Kairi's capacity for kindness. His heart hold great power yet untapped. Like Kairi and Riku, he appears to be able to wield the Keyblade, though he has yet to manifest one of his own._

 **Tifa Lockhart:** _A determined and compassionate young woman who walks the path of the martial arts. She travels the worlds, looking for her best friend, Cloud. Her travels brought her to Destiny Islands shortly before it was lost, and now she's Kairi's self-assigned guardian. Like Kairi and everyone else who call Traverse Town home, she lost her own world to Darkness years ago._

 **Daisy Duck:** _Chief Cleric and First Handmaiden to the Queen of Disney. While her husband, Court Mage Donald, left with the King and the Captain of the Guard, Daisy was tasked with seeking out a new Keybearer that was predicted to appear and help her fight the Wave of Darkness consuming worlds. She fights with a Giant Hammer and uses potent White Magic both to support her allies and fight creatures of Darkness._

 **Max Goof:** _Only child of Captain Goofy, of the Knights of Disney. When his Dad left with the King and the Court Wizard on a mysterious quest to the Realm of Darkness, Max begged Daisy to let him come with her on her own mission so he could help his dad however he could. A tricky boy and quick as an oil slick, he makes up for his lack of strength by fighting smart; using a skateboard to outmaneuver foes and fighting from a distance with a slingshot and magically charged Bullets._

 **Leon:** _A gruff young man who lost his world long ago, as well as a dear friend. He abandoned his old name, Squall Leonheart, to distance himself from a boy broken by his failures. Now he is sworn to castaway folk of Traverse Town. Fights with a one-of-a-kind weapon called the Gunblade._

 **Cid Highwind:** _A man even gruffer than Leon, or at least more vocal about it! A tinkerer by trade, he crafts magical Accessories and serves as Traverse Town's authority on Gummi ships, and dabbles in other pursuits of a similar nature. When necessary, he helps protect the Refuge World with his trusty lance and lots of explosives. Favorite tea: Barley._

 **Shera Highwind:** _Cid's wife, a woman of brilliant intellect and extraordinary patience. Her day-job is managing Traverse Town's Power Station, but she also serves as Cid's safety technician._

 **Yuffie Kisaragi:** _Another of Traverse Town's colorful citizens, and its most ardent defender beside Leon. Calling herself a Great Ninja, she comes screaming out of nowhere, throwing improbably large shuriken also out of nowhere. She fights from the shadows, ambushing the Darkness from the darkness!_

 **Aerith Gainsborough:** _Traverse Town's resident florist and number-one healer, and an old friend of Leon, Yuffie, Tifa, Cloud, and the Highwinds. Despite her gentle appearance, she's a spunky, streetwise girl who isn't afraid to smack Darkness in the face with her staff. Walk softly and carry a big stick, as they say!_

 **Maleficent:** _The Evil Fairy, originally hailing from the world of Enchanted Dominion, she brought ruin to the world now known as Hollow Bastion. She's forged an alliance with Villains from other worlds, all for the purpose of gathering the seven Princesses of Heart. Whatever she wants, it can't be good. Sora and Riku are currently in her…"care"._

 **Zexion:** _Also known as "Number VI" and "The Cloaked Schemer", this young man is mysterious to the core. No one know who he is, where he's from, what he wants, who he works for, what_ _ **they**_ _want, why they're working with Maleficent, or even what he is. He seems to have power over Darkness, as well as Illusions._

 **The Superior:** _?_

* * *

 **Kristyl** : Next chapter! Kairi and her party visit the mad, mad, mad, mad world of Wonderland! Maleficent and Riku cut a deal! (And guess who gets the short end of the stick) More shady stuff happens in the shadows, and Sora _doesn't have any fun at all_! Care to sum that all up for everyone, buddy?

 **Max** : It's gonna be _wild_! So don't miss it!

 **Both** : _See you next time, on_ Princess of Destiny _!_


End file.
